The study of Greek labor migration to the Federal Republic of Germany begins from the observation that, despite its long history and social significance, the field remains comparatively under-researched and has so far developed in fragmentary ways. It represents a field that - also compared to other destinations where Greeks settled abroad - is in significant respects still in an early stage of development, as historical research on the topic remains limited in scope and reach and has not yet found the sustained scholarly attention it deserves. Nevertheless, Greek labor migration offers a productive point of departure precisely because it cannot be understood in terms of labor recruitment alone. Rather, it points to wider migratory processes of departure, transit, settlement, community formation, and everyday negotiation that often unfolded in multi-ethnic and multi-religious settings and shaped social life well beyond the workplace in the receiving society of Germany.
Current research on Greek labor migration is constrained by several critical gaps and the field still lacks systematic and sustained exchange across disciplinary boundaries, leaving key thematic areas under-analyzed. By relying predominantly on official state archives and top-down institutional categories, current research misses alternative identity classifications and informal social structures that emerge from below. Furthermore, it constitutes a field whose sources are often dispersed across public archives, community collections and privately held materials across various regions in Germany, Greece, and elsewhere, while Oral-history interviews have yet to be professionally produced, at a time when many of the first Greek labor migrants who came to Germany in the early 1960s will soon no longer be among us.
This workshop aims to bring together scholars working on Greek labor migration to Germany from the post-war period to the present, in order to take stock of ongoing work and identify relevant source bases and archival holdings. Ultimately, its core objective is to map what exists, by creating a forum where existing projects can be brought into closer conversation and a shared framework for future inquiry can be established, while building sustainable networks that contribute to a wider interdisciplinary conversation.
The workshop encourages reflection on the methodological challenges of the field, offering new analytical tools for researching labor migration, while welcoming perspectives that explore, but are not restricted to, the following dimensions:
- The lived experience of departure, arrival, and settlement, including practices of coexistence and conflict.
- The role of migrant organizations, networks, and political participation within both sending and receiving societies.
- The organization of leisure time, the shaping of neighborhoods, and micro-level social interactions.
- The construction of migrant infrastructures (associations, institutions) and how belonging is organized in local contexts.
- The role of religious communities and orthodox practices in structuring communal life.
- Administrative processes prior to departure from Greece, including the role of personnel and recruitment dynamics (specifically in rural areas).
- Comparative perspectives on how individuals navigate environments in rural villages versus major urban centers.
- Family and generational relations through the lens of loss, vulnerability, and structural failure, moving beyond linear "success stories" of integration.
- The historical links between different forms of mobility (e.g., exile and forced labor) and their evolution into labor migration.
- Interrelations between the Greek state administration and German companies, including corporate initiatives to source labor.
- The influence of media on public discourses in both Greece and Germany.
- Practical and methodological approaches to the collection, preservation, and sharing of primary source data.
The workshop specifically invites Early Career Researchers —including advanced Master's students, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers—from disciplines across the humanities and social sciences whose work engages with these themes. The workshop aims to produce a peer-reviewed publication based on the contributions and discussions.
Submission Guidelines and Organisation
Interested participants are invited to submit an abstract (approx. 300 words) outlining the research question and methodology along with a short academic CV. Proposals should be sent by email no later than October 15, 2026, to ioannis.terezakis@uni-giessen.de or emelie.zoe.bosselmann@protonmail.com. Accepted participants will be notified by November 1, 2026.
The workshop will take place in English at Justus Liebig University in Giessen from December 9 to 11, 2026. Accommodation and travel expenses will be covered. Participants are kindly asked to indicate in their application whether they require travel costs.