Yiannis Papadakis Livres

The book explores the complex history of Cyprus, highlighting the deep-seated prejudices and attitudes formed through decades of conflict, including colonial struggles and civil war. Yiannis Papadakis embarks on a personal journey to understand the Turkish community, challenging his Greek Cypriot worldview. Traveling to Istanbul to learn Turkish, he gains new insights that reshape his perceptions. Returning to Cyprus, he investigates the shared humanity of both communities, particularly in Nicosia, where a physical and psychological divide has left lasting scars.

"[U]shers the reader into the complexities of the categorical ambiguity of Cyprus [and]... concentrates... on the Dead Zone of the divided society, in the cultural space where those who refuse to go to the poles gather." — Anastasia Karakasidou, Wellesley CollegeThe volatile recent past of Cyprus has turned this island from the idyllic "island of Aphrodite" of tourist literature into a place renowned for hostile confrontations. Cyprus challenges familiar binary divisions, between Christianity and Islam, Greeks and Turks, Europe and the East, tradition and modernity. Anti-colonial struggles, the divisive effects of ethnic nationalism, war, invasion, territorial division, and population displacements are all facets of the notorious Cyprus Problem. Incorporating the most up-to-date social and cultural research on Cyprus, these essays examine nationalism and interethnic relations, Cyprus and the European Union, the impact of immigration, and the effects of tourism and international environmental movements, among other topics.