Abstract
The article discusses several aspects of the Greek community of Tunis during the
19th century. Initially, we will approach the anthropogeography of the Greek
community focused on the characteristics of Greek migration in Tunisia. We will
study a few demographic factors and will query why Greeks from certain
geographical areas moved to Tunisia. Then we will refer to the main economic
activities of the Greeks settled in Tunisia, including the operation of retail stores
commerce and sponge fishery. We will define the framework through which,
Greeks managed to get significant economic power and become Bey’s main
partners. Therefore, we will question the political status of the Greeks located in
Tunisia during the 19th century, analyzing their tactics and the reasons for their
way of acting. Finally, we will examine the case of a few Greeks who arrived in
Tunisia as enslaved in the first quarter of 19th century and gradually undertook
import offices in the administrative mechanism of Tunisia government, supporting
in parallel the Greek community’s interest.