The research teams of the Department of history of cities, diasporas and immigration in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea have so far focused on the modern and contemporary history, but our aim is to expand into Ancient, Byzantine and Venetian history. The research teams that study pre-modern civilizations will investigate topics related to the modern period as well, such as population movements, institutions, political regimes etc.
So far, research has moved on three axes. Firstly, research is being made on the urban development and the residential complex of the islands, the coastal areas and the relationship between city and country. Second, population development, social division of labor, social stratification and social relations in cities have been studied. Third, it has dealt with the issue of diaspora in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea and migratory and refugee movements across and beyond the space of the Mediterranean. Systematic research is being conducted into the archives of the cities and islands of the Aegean, the Ionian and Black Sea as well as the Greek diasporas around the world.
The research teams have processed a large volume of archival material and created databases (accessible from the Institute for Mediterranean Studies website and the Web History and Culture Archive) regarding municipal registries, censuses, tax and electoral lists of cities, as well as migrations, of a total volume of more than 150,000 entries. It is also envisaged, in collaboration with University Departments, to develop and conduct Postgraduate and PhD Programs.
The aim of the project was the identification, analysis and synthesis of the economic and social develοpment of 20 port-cities of the Black Sea that formed an integrated market that became the larger grain-exporting area in the world in the second half of the nineteenth century until the beginning of the twentieth century.
