Constructing Ionian identities: the Ionian Islands in British official ...

Moreover, Gallant’s use of material explaining the interplay between
nationhood and religion in the Septinsula is misleading as he focuses on the
predominant Greek Orthodox Church but makes little reference to the ethnically and
culturally diverse mosaic which included Venetian, Italian, Catholic, Jewish,
Albanian, Maltese and Turkish elements. 25 The coexistence of these various groups
created tensions that required continual balancing by the British in order to maintain
their rule in the Septinsula. There is a tendency among historians dealing with the
Ionian Islands, like Calligas, Gallant, Holland and Markides to promote a
hellenocentric historiography. However, not all Ionians perceived themselves to be
Greeks and not all the British believed they were. 26 The governors and colonial
officials had different perceptions of the Ionians: Nugent, Gladstone and some
British parliamentarians, including Hume and Bright, considered the Ionians to be
Greek; Merivale and Douglas considered them to be a fusion of Greek and Italian;
Maitland did not consider them to be Greek at all; and Storks considered them
Oriental. This ambiguity was connected to the geographical position of the Islands.
Many colonial officials were not sure whether Ionians should be considered
European. In addition, with the geographical boundaries of East and West blurred, as
well as what East and West meant for notions of civilisation, so the Ionian Islands’
position as an Eastern or Western territory was ambiguous and understandings of it
varied between individuals. In this thesis, the term ‘Ionian’ characterises the
25 Ibid., p. 179. See also Sherrard P., Edward Lear, the Corfu Years, (Athens, 1988), p. 14.
26 The issue of Ionians’ nationality took different connotations throughout the British rule in the
islands, depending on who, and in what, context they were speaking.
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