From the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth, Greeks comprised one of the largest and most influential minority groups in Egyptian society, yet barely two thousand remain there today. This painstakingly researched book explains how Egypt's once-robust Greek population dwindled to virtually nothing, beginning with the abolition of foreigners' privileges in 1937 and culminating in the nationalist revolution of 1952. It reconstructs the delicate sociopolitical circumstances that Greeks had to navigate during this period, providing a multifaceted account of demographic decline that arose from both large structural factors as well as the decisions of countless individuals.
First study covering the history of the Greeks in Egypt (the biggest foreign community in that country from the mid 19th to mid 20th centuries).
Exhaustive archival research in several countries.
Challenging the existing historical narrative claiming Greeks constituted a well off community and that Gamal Abdel Nasser threw them out of Egypt.
"?a short review cannot do justice to the wealth of information presented in this carefully researched study. Students of diaspora, migration, citizenship, and minorities will find a trove of fascinating and instructive material for comparison and theorizing. Just as important, one hopes that scholars of other diaspora experiences will be as open as Dalachanis was to challenging what may be widely accepted, yet factually faulty, "historical memories" of migration." ? Mashriq & Mahjar
"The author has written a well-researched study that adds much to our knowledge of modern Egypt and the challenges that its minority groups faced during the period from the mid-1930s up to the years of Nasserism and pan-Arabism of the 1960s?The Greek Exodus from Egypt constitutes an excellent addition to the scholarship dedicated to the Greeks of Egypt and to Egypt in general. It is recommended reading for anyone interested in the social and economic history of diasporic groups and their migratory experiences in the modern Mediterranean." ? Journal of Levantine Studies
"Dalachanis manages to produce a story that engages the reader because he presents a lively account of every twist and turn of the processes that is also richly illustrated with personal case studies, anecdotes, and well-chosen quotes? His book demands that all future work on this topic use his fine-grained analysis to explore other Greek departures as a reminder that this type of events are often complex processes in which the Greek presence somewhere abroad ends with a prolonged whimper rather than a sudden bang." ? Journal of Modern Greek Studies
"A clear and well-researched book?The Greek Exodus from Egypt is straightforward, offering an erudite study that is painless to follow and digest for students and scholars alike? Well beyond the historiography of Greeks and the Greek diaspora alone, Dalachanis's compelling arguments reach an audience interested in diaspora and migration studies throughout Mediterranean Europe and North Africa? a remarkable contribution to studies of migration and nationalism." ? HISTORY: Reviews of New Books
"The research in this outstanding study is of the highest order, unmatched by any other scholar working on the subject. With Dalachanis's magnificent work, the Greeks now have a full account of their activities in modern Egypt." ? Robert L. Tignor, Princeton University
"This is an excellent, richly documented study of the final phase of the history of the Greeks in Egypt, the largest ethnic group in that country and one of the most important Greek diaspora communities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is conceptually and methodologically well-crafted, and ultimately persuasive." ? Alexander Kitroeff, Haverford College
