Making History in Cyprus

During the past century, classical Greek culture has provided modern Cyprus with both the inspiration for political thought and action and the main prop of its national identity. Angela Michael here provides a study of the subject with the theoretical underpinning of post-colonialism and nationalism and shows how archaeology of ancient sites and monuments of classical architecture have been a major stimulus of nationalism and national awareness. The Greek classical heritage in Cyprus was also a major inspiration in the struggle against the British Colonial administration and has been used relentlessly by the modern state as a major tool in 'education for the nation' in schools of every grade, colleges and universities. The same theme is also played out in the media, especially by the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, and television - CyBC1 and 2 - to emphasise 'national' attitudes rooted in classical Greek culture. State-sponsored tourism is also vital for earning foreign currency and showing the 'nation' to the world and here too, linkage to the glories of ancient civilizations is a well-used technique. This is an original and stimulating study of cultural nationalism for those involved in research into nationalism, post-colonial theory, decolonisation and the modern history of Cyprus.