Yalouri, Anastasia Helen; (2000) Global fame, local claim: The Athenian Acropolis as an objectification of Greek identity. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The interplay between the global and the local is a vital issue for people around the world, and has accordingly become a subject of interest within the social sciences. The relevant current question is whether globalisation will lead to homogenisation and to the extinction of the local or, on the contrary, to a resurgence of the local. In this context it is interesting to examine the role of a monument which is at the same time coined as 'national' and 'world' heritage. The Athenian Acropolis, the 'corner stone of the Classical Greek era' is often referred to - both within and outside Greece - as a 'world monument'. At the same time, it is the par excellence national monument of Greece. How can these two (local and global) meanings of the same monument co-exist and how do they interrelate. To answer this question, this work addresses, among other things, the following issues. Firstly, I analyse the ways in which the idea of Greece is objectified in the material form of a specific archaeological site, namely the Acropolis in Athens. I look at the ways in which the Acropolis becomes the meeting point of classical, contemporary, diasporic, and mainland Hellenisms, thus providing an enduring, unifying, and tangible identity. Secondly, I discuss how - through this material form - Greek identity is contested and negotiated within the global community. The thesis is also concerned with the issue of Greek heritage consumption. I discuss Greek reactions to various cases of global consumption of what is locally perceived as 'inalienable wealth'. I situate these responses within the framework of the wider ideological relationships between Greece and 'the West'. I investigate the aesthetics of antiquity, being considered 'pure', 'authentic', and 'unique' in contrast to 'fake', massively re-produced, tourist attractions. I study the ways in which the Acropolis is imbued with sacredness. I examine certain aspects of this sacredness including its aesthetics and I investigate ways in which people perceive, use, and reproduce such concepts of sacredness in connection with the Acropolis.

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