1st Edition
Britain and the Cyprus Crisis of 1974 Conflict, Colonialism and the Politics of Remembrance in Greek Cypriot Society
This book examines the ideological and socio-political discourses shaping the remembrance and representation of Britain and the Cyprus conflict of 1974 within Greek Cypriot society. By combining the official with the popular and drawing on an extensive range of oral history interviews, this monograph shows that a suspicion born out of Britain’s long (neo-)colonial connection to Cyprus has come to frame the image and understanding of British actions associated with the events, and lasting consequences, of 1974. Indeed, with the island of Cyprus still divided, and the requirement to remember a national imperative, this book has a direct contemporary relevance. However, within the existent literature, while much has been written about the political roots of the Cyprus conflict, no study has yet sought to systematically analyse and understand the influences shaping the history and memory of British actions on Cyprus in 1974. One defined by the existence of 'partitionist' conspiracies, collusive accusations and a series of memory distortions which continue to resonate strongly irrespective of the evidence that is now available. As such, by analysing the influences shaping the image of Britain in 1974, one can begin to understand in ever greater detail the Anglo–Greek Cypriot relationship in a modern context.
1: Introduction
History and Memory
Methodological Foundations: Oral History
Research Structure
2: ‘One of Our Problems’: The British view of 1974
Roots of Conflict
British Rights and Obligations
An ‘Eternal Balancing Act’
A British ‘scapegoat’?
Conclusion
3: Imagining Conflict and its Causes: Structuring a Popular Greek Cypriot Response
NATO ‘conspiracies’ and the Cold War
The SBAs and (neo)-colonial continuity
Britain and the ‘Big Lie’
Conclusion
4: Creating Official Images of the Past in Greek Cypriot Historical Narratives and School Texts
Politics of History Construction
Consequences of Conflict
Causality of Conflict
A British Legacy
Conclusion
5: Reconciling the Past: Sites of Memory and acts of Public Remembrance
Sites of Memory for 1974: Politics and Mourning
Contested Content
‘Imposed’ Sites of Memory – Peace and Freedom Rally
‘Constructed’ Sites of Memory – The Occupation
Inclusivity
‘Stepmother’ Britain: A memorial heritage
‘Forgotten Conflict’
Controversies over Content and Location
Layers of Memorial Meaning
Conclusion
6: Framing the ‘Cyprus Problem’
National Roots of the Problem
‘Who are the Cypriots?’
‘Motherland’ Influences
Cypriotism
Conclusion
7: Conclusion
Biography
John Burke is a teacher at Newcastle University, UK.