Abstract
The Greek presence in Tunisia dates back to the middle of the 16th century, when
merchants and ex-slaves, once victims of the pirates operating in North Africa,
settled primarily in the ports of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. During that period,
Tunisia was part of the Ottoman Empire and from 1705, a semi-independent
hegemony. The French invasion of North Africa was a crucial point in the Greek
community’s long presence in Tunisia. The French colonial policy brought
tremendous changes in the social life of people residing in multinational Tunisia,
including Greeks. The decade between 1920 and 1930 marked a series of reforms
in the governmental structures of Tunisia. These events also affected Greek
residents in Tunisia. Although they retained their religious identity, their ethnic
orientation became directly dependent on these political and social changes, since
that is when the majority of Greeks acquired French citizenship. It is important to
examine whether this shift was accompanied by a transformation of the Greek
national identity and the extent of its influence within the actual Greek
community.