ABSTRACT
Having dual identity – Greek and British – leads often to a schizophrenic life. Enough has been written about the differences in eating and drinking habits, distinct ways of work and play, the idiosyncracies of love intimacies and courtesies to strangers. But, in my case, what has really made me feel split in my loyalties has been politics. As a ‘Briton’ in Athens, I had a difficult time trying to persuade Greek friends about the atrocities, murders and mass expulsions committed by Serb allies and co-religionists in Bosnia and Kosovo. As a ‘Greek’ in London, I was mortified and angry at crass, ignorant, often racist remarks about the Serbs. Around that time, I realised that, in matters of politics, I would remain forever a Briton in Athens and a Greek in London. This is a condition I cannot rationally define but which has dominated my emotional experience and the discussion of politics (something that happens all the time in Athens and more rarely in London).
