ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the content, function and mutations of the concept of ‘Greek genius’ as used in the case of Greek emigrants to the United States. It examines: (a) how the ‘Greek genius’ was used as a tool to explain the economic and social success of Greeks in America; (b) the degree to which it was disputed or modified, compared to earlier usages, concerning the interpretation of the phenomenon of the Greek Diaspora; (c) its effect on the shaping of the ethnic identity of Greek Americans and their self-projection; and (d) the function of the ‘ingenious Greek emigrant’ in the context of Greek national ideology and public discourse. The study focuses on the first wave of trans-Atlantic emigration (1890–1924). Nevertheless, texts from periods up to the present were also examined to demonstrate that the myth of the ‘ingenious Greek emigrant’ not only survives but is also one of the most solidly rooted elements of migrant public discourse. It should be noted that other migratory experiences, especially that of Greek emigrants to Germany or Belgium in the 1950s and '60s, had completely different social and ideological characteristics, which made the concept of ‘Greek genius’ less relevant.
