ΑΠΟΤΥΠΩΜΑΤΑ
Proud to be of greek heritage
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ΑΠΟΤΥΠΩΜΑΤΑ
There ’ s an old Greek saying which asserts that you ’ ll find a Greek in the most remote place in the world and this is not far from true . There are Greeks in the strangest and remotest places . Who would think you can find a Greek in places like Papua , New Guinea or Madagascar , but you can ! No matter where Greeks live , they usually maintain a connection with the fatherland ( called patrida in Greek ), be it a connection with some family member still living back home or a “ spiritual ” and “ cultural ” connection to the land of our forefathers .
There are countless stories of how strong these ties are when one visits remote place in the world and meets some 3rd or 4th generation Greek who can ’ t even say a word in Greek yet he ’ ll proudly say “ I ’ m Greek ! My ancestors were Greeks ”.
The Greek Minority in London
https :// www . facebook . com / groups / londongreekconnection /
The UK has historically hosted a numerically small but economically vibrant subsection of the Greek diaspora . In the eve of the Greek crisis , it comprised three main groups : a historically rooted economic elite , active in banking and shipping , a sizeable group of students and a group of Greek professionals , notably academics , lawyers and doctors . In 2011 , the UK-based Greek population counted approximately 35,000 people . However , after a period of relatively slow population growth , the Greek diaspora in the UK was to expand . The crisis in Greece led to the resurgence of mass emigration , with the UK emerging as one of its most dynamic destinations , second only to Germany .
As a result , the Greek population in the UK more than doubled within a time span of only seven years , currently estimated to count approximately 80,000 people . The crisis-driven emigration not only critically expanded the population size of the Greek diaspora in the UK but also highly diversified its sociodemographic make-up . The UK is the prime destination for the highly skilled migrants leaving Greece , thus receiving a large share of the ongoing brain drain flows , while its dynamic labor market also attracts people of lower educational attainments , even if to a lesser degree , who look for job opportunities in the country ’ s vibrant service economy . These developments thus make the study of this under-researched Greek diasporic community urgently needed . Not only for examining how its profile has drastically reshaped over the past few years , but also as a critical case through which to explore the issue of diaspora engagement — an issue that is of critical importance for Greece ’ s post-crisis future .
UK-based Greeks are also very highly educated population with the share of university graduates estimated at 75 %. This is more than double the share of university graduates in Greece and considerably higher than the share of university graduates in the