"Ioannou has produced a sophisticated yet highly accessible book. ... The Normalization of Cyprus' Partitionis a valuable addition to the literature that provides a welcome alternative to the international politics approaches which dominate considerations of the Cyprus issue, challenges interpretive orthodoxies, and opens new vistas in understanding the turbulent politics of the island." (Spyros A. Sofos, Journal of Modern Greek Studies, Vol. 40 (1), May, 2022)
1. Introduction: History, Need and Choices
2. From Nationalism to Partition 1950–1975
3. Separation as a Lived Reality, as a Promise and as a Taboo 1975–2003
4. The Opening of the Checkpoints and the Unfulfilled Potential
5. Referendum 2004: The End of Innocence
6. The Ten-Year Battle Between Federation and Antifederation 2007–2017
7. The Schools and the Universities, the Mass Media and the Deep State of the Republic of Cyprus of Emergent Necessity
8. The Shifts in the Greek Cypriot Bourgeoisie and the Equilibria in the Greek Cypriot Community
9. Conclusion: History, Responsibility and the Future
Gregoris Ioannou is a research fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK. He previously taught at the University of Cyprus and Frederick University. His research focuses on class conflicts and social movements, contentious politics and the South European crisis, and his work has been published widely, including articles in journals such as Mobilization: An International Quarterly, Capital and Class, and Mediterranean Politics.
‘This book is simultaneously a socio-political analysis of the new generation of the Cyprus problem and an activist / personal account. It constitutes an important contribution, a clear, understandable and comprehensive study that correlates the terms of international relations with the sociology of class and party dynamics.’
–Olga Demetriou, Associate Professor in Post-Conflict Reconstruction and State Building, Durham University, UK
‘From a social movement perspective that is skilfully combined with reflexivity, this book aptly posits the socio-political and class dimensions of this shift, dissolving the worn-out notions about the “romanticism” of the national narrative. Despite the pessimism of the current situation, the author insists that the Cyprus problem remains foremost an issue of social and political struggle.’
–Nicos Trimikliniotis, Professor of Sociology, University of Nicosia, Cyprus
‘With a bold and innovative analysis, Gregoris Ioannou dissects some of the most difficult aspects of the political culture of the Greek Cypriot community, and the Cyprus problem itself, in contemporary times.’
–Theodoros Rakopoulos, Associate Professor in Anthropology, University of Oslo, Norway
This book explores the basic dynamics that shaped the Cyprus problem, with a focus on recent decades. The author deals with the periods, nodal points and fields that produced the conditions for the normalisation of partition and also presents the Cyprus problem as viewed from the outside. The chapters approach Cyprus’ division in light of power relations in society, the interaction between the political elite and society, and discuss the political and ideological dynamics as manifested in the public sphere. While analysing primarily the Greek Cypriot community, the book also refers to parallel developments in the Turkish Cypriot and international communities, arguing that the normalisation of Cyprus’ partition is rooted in the political economy and political culture of Greek Cypriots. At the same time, from the perspective of the peace and reunification movement, this is an inherently contradictory and potentially unstable process that can be overturned.
Gregoris Ioannou is a research fellow at the University of Glasgow, UK. He previously taught at the University of Cyprus and Frederick University. His research focuses on class conflicts and social movements, contentious politics and the South European crisis, and his work has been published widely, including articles in journals such as Mobilization: An International Quarterly, Capital and Class, and Mediterranean Politics.