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The impact of Brexit on Greek Diaspora in UK (a comparative approach)

Principal Investigator: Dr Athanasia Chalari

Duration: July 2025 – June 2026

 Overview

This study aims in comparing the impact of Brexit on identity formation between two different groups of Greek diaspora in UK: i) Greeks residing in UK under the settlement scheme and ii) Greeks having received the British citizenship.

The first phase of this research had been focused on 30 in-depth interviews conducted with Greeks of the first category focusing on a) the multilayered effects of Brexit, b)  immigration identity formation of EU nationals residing in the UK, and c) their sense of belonging in British culture. This study concludes that a contradictory and yet harmonised co-existence of feelings of not-belonging, albeit not feeling unwelcome, may portray the place of Greek (and possibly any EU-born) immigrants in British culture, especially after Brexit. 

Currently the project has moved into its second stage, including 30 additional in-depth interviews with Greeks belonging to the second category (having received the British citizenship) in order to  further explore: a) the different impact of Brexit on this category of participants, b)the difference in their identity formation as British citizens and lastly c) their sense of belonging in the British culture.  This project focuses in producing comparative accounts between the ways Brexit has affected the participants’ place of Greek Diaspora in contemporary Britain. 

The project has lead to a number of academic outputs, including:

Presentations

  • Seminar: Hellenic Observatory, ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, Greek Diapsora Identity(ies) in the UK in the light of Integration and Social Cohesion  (January, 29th, 2025)

    /Hellenic-Observatory/Events/Research-Seminar-Series/2024-25/20250129/diaspora

  • Conference Presentation: British Sociological Association, 23-25 April, 2025, University of Manchester. ‘Experienced Diaspora Identity(ies) in UK: A phenomenological exploration of the ways Greeks residing in UK, experience their Greek, Greek Diasporised and British identities’

This study forms part of our wider research within our Society, Identity & Rights cluster.

Funding: funded by the Hellenic Observatory - Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus (HOC Research Fund)


 

Research Team

Chalari_Athanasia

Principal investigator

Athanasia Chalari, Research Associate, Hellenic Observatory, ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ