The Last Ottomans: The Muslim Minority of Greece 1940-1949

Why, when faced with a brutal occupation and then a bloody civil war, did the Muslims on Greece's border with Turkey remain passive? The Lausanne Treaty of 1923 had recognized them as a vulnerable minority and there were a number of international and local factors that might have led to ethnic conflict. This first, in-depth historical study of the minority explores the puzzle of the absence of conflict, the complex patterns of identity of the minority and the strategic relevance of this community to the international relations of a region long seen as a powder-keg. It is based on extensive Greek, Turkish and Bulgarian archive materials, many of which have not been analysed before, as well as the official documents of the British and US governments and personal interviews with many of those who lived through these events. The Last Ottomans traces a fascinating, untold story and tells it through an interdiciplinary lens, raising important questions of relevance not only to the 1940s but also to the inherited assumptions and images of today.

Kevin Featherstone is Professor of Contemporary Greek Studies and Director of the Hellenic Observatory at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He has published widely on European and Greek politics. Two of his recent books are Politics and Policy in Greece (editor, 2005) and The Limits of Europeanization (with D. Papadimitriou; Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).
Dimitris Papadimitriou is Reader in European Politics at the University of Manchester, UK. His research interests focus on Greek politics, the Balkans and the European Union's external relations. His most recent books include The Limits of Europoeanization (With K. Featherstone; Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) and From Marginalisation to Membership (with D, Phinnemore, 2008)
Argyris Mamarelis was Research Fellow of the Hellenic Observatory of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK during 2006-8. His research interests include Modern Greek History, World War II History, Balkan History and Politics. He has made several contributions to academic journals, edited books and international conferences on Greek history in the 1940s.

He was Research Fellow of the Hellenic Observatory of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK during 2006-8. His research interests include Greek-Turkish Relations, Balkan History and Minorities. He has made several Contributions to academic journals and edited volumes, and to international conferences on minorities in Greece and Turkey.