Synopsis
While modern Greek historiography focuses on the Pontians in the context of their lives in Anatolia and the Genocide, less emphasis is given to the remarkable Pontian communities of Black Sea Russia.
During the Soviet period, those communities were able to develop innovative and progressive communal organisations and also tackle issues of language standardisation and alphabet reform, as well as engaging in the broader social reforms of the Soviet government.
Sadly, during the era of Stalin's purges, they will come to be considered subversive and enemy elements, and tens of thousands were deported or executed.
Examining the context of the deportations and executions, this lecture asks the question: Does what befell the Pontians of the USSR constitute a second genocide?
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