Living in Greece Outside Cities: Rural-Urban Relationships

The Greek rural world is misunderstood in Western countries because of distinct characteristics determined by a historical and geographical context that has been the source of a complex relational system. Strong networks anchored in old traditions of clientelism dominate the city-countryside relationships. These exist as intricate spatial and functional frameworks determining or influencing voting behaviors and the labor market. Surprisingly, these practical arrangements are simultaneously reactivated and attacked by European modernity, especially through EU funding. Probably nowhere else are sentimental and identity ties so closely intertwined between the “little homeland” of the city and the other “ancestral homelands” –be they rooted in the islands, mountain areas, or other “diasporic” communities abroad. However, as time goes on, rural settlements are increasingly perceived as dependencies placed under the burden of cities. This paper aims to get insight into the persisting village communities whose fate is too commonly and unfairly associated with the idea of underdevelopment. Local examples will support the reflection.