Masculinity and Gender in Greek Cinema: 1949-1967

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Between the end of the Civil War (1949) and the colonels' military coup (1967) Greece underwent tremendous political, economic, and social transformations which influenced gender identities and relations. During the same period, Greece also witnessed an unparalleled bloom in cinema productions. Based on the recently established paradigm that cinema and popular culture viewed as social institutions can inform a historical study, Masculinity and Gender in Greek Cinema explores the relationship between Greek cinema and the society within which it was created and viewed. The book's double analytical perspective on cinema and masculinity advances both the study of cinema and popular culture as historical sources, and of masculinity and gender relations as valid categories of historical analysis. Cinema as a medium of representation, not only managed to reflect on these issues, it also provided a whole new field for their interpretation. This is the first study to explore the dramatic transformation of masculinity and gender roles, as represented in Greek cinema during the turbulent 1950s and 1960s.

Reviews

Who are role models for modern Greek men The classical heroes Or contemporary Zorbas This trail-blazing fusion of film studies with gender history reveals how past and present mythologies influence the history of men...and women too. -- Penelope J. Corfield, Emeritus Professor, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
This book is a scholarly analysis of Greek masculinity, which incorporates the interrelation of gender, power and knowledge in an exemplary way. It is a valuable resource for everybody interested in gender studies giving impetus to future research and debate on the complex connection of cinema with both its socio-historical context and the redefinition of masculinity and femininity. -- Mary Koutselini, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction, Chair holder of the UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment, University of Cyprus
Masculinity and Gender in Greek Cinema is a fascinating study of changing gender relations in postwar Greece, and the ways they were symbolized in film. Challenging anthropologists pictures of rigid Greek patriarchy, Achilleas Hadjikyriacou gives us a realist picture of a rapidly changing society in which all patterns of masculinity came into question. As well as introducing readers to a remarkable film industry and a group of dramatic films, this book is a model of intelligent, critical analysis of culture, gender relations, and the dilemmas of new generations of men. -- Raewyn Connell, Professor, University of Sydney, Australia, and author of Masculinities and Southern Theory
Achilleas Hadjikyriakous Masculinity and Gender in Greek Cinema is both a monumental and innovative study: it provides ample information about the historical contexts of the Greek film industry while at the same time attempting a daring analysis of the representation of masculinity and gender in a number of Greek films, exploring the interaction between culture and industry, representation and reality, history and identity. The study expresses some remarkable insights about the various political projects underpinning dominant codes of representation, within the social and political upheavals of the Greek state in the last sixty years. Finally, it firmly situates Greek Film Studies within the mainstream discussions about global cinema and local knowledge by demonstrating the complexities and intricacies of gender representation in a patriarchal and conservative social system and the ways it confronted the challenges of European modernity. -- Vrasidas Karalis, Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies, University of Sydney, Australia, and author of A History of Greek Cinema
An innovative analysis of the interaction between social and filmic worlds in post-World War II Greece, questioning the impact of modernity on traditional forms of masculinity, the representations of female emancipation and the birth of new youth cultures. A ground-breaking investigation into the history of Greece, masculinity and popular culture, this book traces a complex connection between the cinematic representations of masculinity and gender with the Greek society of the 1950s and 1960s. -- Giulia Calvi, European University Institute, Florence, Italy

Author Bio

Achilleas Hadjikyriacou is a Scientific Officer at the Research Promotion Foundation in Cyprus (RPF). Hadjikyriacou received his doctorate from the European University Institute, Florence, Italy in 2010. His academic interests focus on gender history, history of masculinity, history and popular culture, visual sources in history and the history of Greek Cinema. In 2012 he was awarded the James Kaye Memorial Prize for the best PhD thesis on history and visuality for the period 2009-11.