ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to provide a historical overview of the Cyprus conflict and to analyze its main social and political dimensions. My perspective is that of a Greek-Cypriot sociologist, who focuses on developments in the Greek-Cypriot community.Whereas there is a vast literature on the so-called Cyprus problem, most of it is written from a nationalist angle and is emotionally and politically charged. I seek, above all else, to be objective, and, given my emphasis upon the Greek Cypriot side, it may appear that I place most of the blame for the dispute upon the Greeks of the island. I can only say that this is by no means my intention, and that my focus on one side of the dispute is simply a matter of analytic interest.
