The Introduction

Who I Am ¬ What I do

With a steadfast dedication to my craft, I consistently strive to push the boundaries of knowledge and leave a lasting impact on my students and the greater community. My specializations are based in Canadian, European, and Transnational histories while using oral and social history as methods in my research framework. To date I have completed more than fifty interviews from those who experienced war, famine, and resistance during the 1940s in Greece. I seek to correlate their traumas and resilience’s to their decision to migrate, reflecting on Canadian immigration policy and aid. As an educator, I have taught courses as York University as a Teaching Assistant and as a Greek language instructor with the Peel District School Board.

• Chevron Down

My Mission

My approach and mission is to illuminate the complexities of the past, I strive to delve into historical narratives with rigor, empathy, and a critical eye. As a history graduate student, my mission is to unearth forgotten stories, challenge conventional wisdom, and contribute fresh perspectives to the ongoing dialogue of human history. Through rigorous research, thoughtful analysis, and effective communication, I aim to enrich our understanding of the past and inspire others to engage with history in meaningful ways. Ultimately, I seek to use my knowledge and skills to contribute positively to academia, society, and the preservation of our collective heritage. I welcome the opportunity for further discussion and collaboration. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

• Chevron Down

Historical Research

Historical Research Video
“Tragic” –
“The worst years of my life. My childhood years were the worst years of my life” –
“We became semi refugees in effect, they burnt our house to the ground”. -
“I became an orphan; my father was killed in combat and I was hundreds of kilometers from my home in a different country”
“If you could describe the 1940s in one word, what would that word be for you?”
This is the last question I ask all participants of my study. Their responses, while emotional, illustrate not only how tragic this decade was, but also how important it is to document such experiences and memories before they are lost – offering a social history to the history of Greece during the 1940s and a history of migration to Canada.
My dissertation research analyzes the life histories of Greek Canadians who were born in Greece during the mid to late 1920s and 1930s to document their experiences living under occupation, the Resistance of the Second World War, and later the Greek Civil war, all of which occurred in the span of ten years (1940-1949). I seek to question in what ways did the breakdown of social, political, and economic institutions of post war Greece impact the participants’ decision to leave Greece and migrate to Canada, offering a new, transnational, analysis into the research structure on Canadian migration history.
Building upon the works of other scholars who have contributed to the historiography of Trans/National immigration and migration studies, this project aims to evaluate the effects of trauma and resilience through the events of the 1940s in Greece to critically reflect on memory eighty years later. Through the contributions made by Dr. Franca Iacovetta (Gatekeepers: Reshaping Immigrant Lives in Cold War Canada), Dr. Joy Damousi (Memory and Migration in the Shadow of War), Dr. Peter D. Chimbos (The Canadian Odyssey: The Greek Experience in Canada), this project attempts to argue that due to trauma inflicted by war and the socio- economic and political consequences of this decade, the children of the 1940s had their childhood years cut short, resulting in them maturing far too quickly to assume the role of an adult in order to survive. They never had the opportunity or the pleasure to return to their childhood years following the civil war. These individuals matured through pain and trauma, not from age. Such resilience and trauma(s) are later carried forward to their adult years through immigration and adapting to new socio-economic environments. Only recently has the historiography of Greece during the 1940’s focused on the appeal of researchers to question issues of collective memory and reconciliation in the post-war environment. Incorporating my own research on Greek Canadians adds a transnational perspective, which aids in demonstrating how memories and ethnic identities can expand beyond borders to create a community of those who may share the same experiences, traumas, and identity.

Oral History Collection and the Greek Canadian Archives

To date, over fifty [50] interviews have been conducted for my research. With the consent of the interviewee, they have the option to have their recording deposited into the Greek Canadian Archives at York University in perpetuity. On September 22, 2021, York University announced that it had received a $1.4-million gift from the Hellenic Heritage Foundation to aid in preserving, cataloguing, digitizing, and teaching Greek Canadian history, ultimately creating the HHF Greek Canadian Archives at York University.
Link to the Archive website:
Archive Website
Members of the community, educators and students can access the digital portal by registering for access. Here, they can watch countless hours of interviews from many different projects including my own.
Projects Interviews

• Chevron Down