The Poetics of Anti-Americanism in Greece: Rhetoric, Agency, and Local Meaning

Kirtsoglou, E.; Theodossopoulos, D.

doi:10.3167/sa.2010.540107

The Poetics of Anti-Americanism in Greece: Rhetoric, Agency, and Local Meaning

Kirtsoglou, E.; Theodossopoulos, D.

Authors

Professor Elisabeth Kirtsoglou elisabeth.kirtsoglou@durham.ac.uk
Professor

D. Theodossopoulos

Abstract

In this article we examine the content and rationale of anti-Americanism in Greece, drawing ethnographic information from two urban centers, Patras and Volos. We pay special attention to the conspiracy theory attributes of this rhetoric, and, instead of dismissing it or seeing it primarily as a manifestation of nationalist thinking, we attempt to unpack the threads of meaning that make it so appealing in local contexts. We look in particular at the etiology of blame within this particular discourse and try to explain the specific readings of history and politics that make it significant in local contexts. We argue that Greek anti-Americanism has an empowering potential for local actors, as it provides them with a certain degree of discursive agency over wider political processes that are beyond their immediate control.

Citation

Kirtsoglou, E., & Theodossopoulos, D. (2010). The Poetics of Anti-Americanism in Greece: Rhetoric, Agency, and Local Meaning. Social Analysis: The International Journal of Social and Cultural Practice, 54(1), 106-124. https://doi.org/10.3167/sa.2010.540107

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Mar 1, 2010
Deposit Date	Apr 12, 2012
Publicly Available Date	Mar 20, 2015
Journal	Social Analysis: The International Journal of Anthropology
Print ISSN	0155-977X
Electronic ISSN	1558-5727
Publisher	Berghahn Journals
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	54
Issue	1
Pages	106-124
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3167/sa.2010.540107
Keywords	Anti-Americanism, Conspiracy theory, Greece, Local actors, Nationalism, Political agency, Rhetoric, Western powers.

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Copyright Statement
This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedited version of an article published in Social Analysis. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Kirtsoglou, E. and Theodossopoulos, D. (2010) 'The poetics of anti-Americanism in Greece : rhetoric, agency, and local meaning.', Social analysis., 54 (1). pp. 106-124 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3167/sa.2010.540107