From Alexandria to Athens and from Kadıköy to Kavala, the Eastern Mediterranean is a region whose histories have never fitted neatly into imagined geographical divisions of East and West. In The New Byzantines: The Rise of Greece and the Return of the Near East, Sean explores Greece’s enduring connections to its eastern neighbours, complicating conventional understandings of the country’s place in Europe and the wider Middle East.

In this conversation, recorded on 5 November 2026, Sean and Ethan discuss the geographical imaginaries that have shaped modern Greece, the layered histories of northern Greek cities between their Balkan hinterlands and the wider Mediterranean, and the legacies of Ottoman social organisation in Western Thrace. From nineteenth-century travel writers to contemporary Greek–Turkish relations, they consider how historical connections continue to challenge the borders and national identities of the modern Eastern Mediterranean, before turning to how Greece might use this heritage to navigate the geopolitical shifts sweeping the region today.

Episode 87 – Greece Shouldn’t Fight Geography

Podcasts are published by TLP for the purpose of encouraging informed debate on the legacies of the events surrounding the Lausanne Conference. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TLP, its partners, convenors or members.