Georgios Argiantopoulos

Why Royal Holloway?

After completing a BΑ in history and archaeology and an MA in Black sea and Eastern Mediterranean studies, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and at International Hellenic University of Thessaloniki respectively, I was awarded the 25th anniversary scholarship on Greek diaspora studies, to pursue a PhD at Royal Holloway. On September 2019 I moved to the UK, where I am discovering a top level University, which provides great research, studying and teaching experience. I really admire, embrace and get motivated by the cooperative spirit of everyone in the university, from Professors to administrative staff and students. Putting aside any kind of discrimination the university has become a wide multicultural community, where you can live, study, work and excel and I am grateful for that.

My research

My research explores themes around socioeconomic and cultural changes that occurred inside the Greek and Greek-Cypriot diasporic communities in several cities and towns in Egypt, after the establishment of the British rule in 1882. I am looking at archival material including institutional, public and ego-historical documents of Key figures of the time. The variety of nationalities and peoples is what makes in my opinion this research distinguishable, in combination with the fascinating British imperial-colonial history and the cosmopolitanism of the late 19th century Eastern Mediterranean. The indissoluble bonds and the mutual support between the Greek and Cypriot nation states and their diasporic communities , along with the investigation of similar to current situations events, gives a topical and essential character in this history dissertation. Currently I am preparing a paper in title: "The 1882 British bombardment of Alexandria and the foreign communities' response. Reconstruction and Philanthropy" for a workshop in Cairo called: Diasporas, charity and the construction of belonging: a connected history of practices of ‘goodwill’ in Egypt during the imperial age (19th–20th centuries)