20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

The incorporation of Epirus into the Greek state afterthe Balkan wars: cultural and ethnological aspectsEleftheria MantaInstitut d’Études Balkaniques – ThessaloniqueThe annexation of Epirus and Macedonia into the Greek state, in1913, found Greece in the middle of a tumultuous decade, on the onehand ethnically proud of what had been accomplished during the BalkanWars, but on the other hand unable to face all the subsequent problems thatemerged after the territorial enlargement.The first and most urgent one, that connected with the administrationalorganization of Epirus, was quite quickly resolved by the creation ofthe General Administration of Epirus, based in Ioannina, and of threeprefectures (Ioannina, Arta, Preveza).Other problems, however, proved more difficult to be resolved,given the fact that just one year later Greece was faced with an extremelyunstable internal situation caused by the events of the First World War.Only after the end of the Great War the Greek state was obliged to draw outa systematic policy towards Epirus and its very serious specific problems.The most important among them was the existence of a numerous Muslimminority of Albanian origin, the Chams, who were exempted from thegeneral measure of the exchange of populations among Greece and Turkeyand were allowed to stay in their villages in Greece.At that early period, it seems that the Chams of Epirus did not yethave a clearly developed ethnic consciousness. They felt themselves moreMuslim than Albanians; it was religion that played the prime role in theirself-determination. This explains the general confusion which initiallyprevailed amongst them regarding what they should do, i.e. if they shouldtake part in the exchange of populations and depart for Turkey or remain onthe territories where they were living up to that time. 11AYE (Archives of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs), 1925, Γ/68/Χ, no.