The Greek communities of Egypt and national identity building as reflected in the archival records of the Hellenic literary and historical archive/MIET, 1843–1950

The year 2023 marked the 180th anniversary of the establishment of the Greek Community of Alexandria. Conceived along national lines, it addressed persons of Greek nationality or origin and its main pillars were the Greek school and Hospital. A national centre away from the homeland, it quickly became a significant secular pole that embraced the Greek population of the city and served as a guiding and supporting agent for smaller Greek Communities throughout Egypt. The history of the Greek Community of Alexandria and of other Communities in Egypt, within the hundred-year timeslot (1843–1950), runs parallel and in relation to other (hi)stories: the transition of Egypt from Ottoman province to British protectorate, then to independent national state; the geopolitical transformations of Greece due to the Balkan Wars, the Asia Minor expedition, and the two World Wars. This paper will present the archival records at the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive pertaining to the Greek Communities, Societies, and Fraternities in Egypt and the challenges—of language and content—they pose to the researcher today. Focusing on the archive of the Greek Community of Alexandria, this paper will highlight a multi-faceted project at work: firstly, the efforts for the establishment of a Greek enclave and the shaping of its social, economic, and political identity. Secondly, following the retrenchment of the Hellenic element in Egypt post-1952, the transformation of the Archive (documents, photographs, press) into an enduring monument of the Greek presence in Egypt, a stage for the consolidation of a distinct Egyptiot Greek identity, and a repository for further historical re-readings.