A Melbourne-based professor of Greek diaspora studies is sounding the alarm over what he calls a systematic withdrawal b...

A Melbourne-based professor of Greek diaspora studies is sounding the alarm over what he calls a systematic withdrawal by successive Greek governments from their overseas communities, and the numbers he cites are stark. Professor Anastasios Tamis, who holds the chair in Sociolinguistics and History of the Greek Diaspora, told the Cretan newspaper Rethymniotika Nea that the number of educational advisers serving Greek communities worldwide has collapsed from around 60 to just six. The number of teachers seconded from Greece has fallen from between 600 and 700 down to approximately 60 to 70, not counting those stationed in Germany. Tamis places the turning point squarely at 2009. He argues the Greek state used the financial crisis as cover to pull back from its diaspora, replacing real policy with commemorations, goodwill statements and symbolic visits. One casualty he points to specifically is the Paideia Omogenon program, a structured Greek-language education initiative coordinated through the University of Crete that he ran for Oceania, which has since been discontinued. His concern goes beyond language classes. Tamis argues that Greek-language education is the primary vehicle for transmitting historical memory, cultural identity and a sense of belonging to younger generations. As those structures erode, he warns, younger Greeks abroad gradually lose their connection to their community organisations and to Greece itself. He is also critical of the Council of Hellenes Abroad, which he says has become largely inactive, leaving overseas communities without a functional channel to the Greek state. Tamis does not let diaspora communities off the hook entirely. He argues Greek communities abroad, particularly the estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Cretans in Australia, have the human capital, networks and institutions to invest in their own future rather than waiting on Athens to act. His broader message is that symbolic recognition of the diaspora is no substitute for sustained, coordinated investment in education and institutions. #GreekDiaspora #Greece #Hellenism