Becoming a Subject

Focusing on the Greek Civil War (1946-1949), the last major conflict in Europe before the end of the Cold War, this study examines the political prisoners whose fate encapsulates the dramatic conflicts and contradictions of that dark era. New sources such as prisoners' letters, memoirs, and official reports, the author describes the life of the prisoners and the effect the prison administration and the prisoners' collective had on their personality. Drawing comparisons to political prisoners in Germany and Spain, the author sheds new light on our understanding of the ideologies and policies and their effect on individuals, which marked European history in the 20th century.

“... this meticulously researched and documented analysis presents a candid and revealing history of torture, deprivation, hunger strikes and other forms of protest in prisons. A sober and often disturbing account, [this book] is a welcome and appreciated scholarly contribution to 20th-century Greek history.”  ·  Midwest Book Review "Polymeris Voglis' work is highly recommended not only to academics and students of the Greek Civil War, but also to those who work in twentieth-century political history and the phenomenon of civil war. It is an impartial and conceptually challenging study which opens up possibilities for different forms of history-writing."  ·  European History Quarterly "This book displays a masterful synthesis and control of [a] wide array of information and presents it in easily readable form ... [It] will prove to be an authoritative reference for future scholarly investigations."  ·  Modern Greek Studies "Sophisticated vocabulary of social analysis ... heavy research in Greek, British, and US archives ... a rich bibliography."  ·  Choice "This unique study enriches the literature on Greek civil war and is of great value not only to students of contemporary Greed history but to all who wish to understand the impact of imprisonment and hardship on the human body and spirit."  ·  History: Reviews of New Books "This meticulously researched and documented analysis presents a candid and revealing history of torture, deprivation, hunger strikes and other forms of protest in prisons. A sober and often disturbing account."  ·  Wisconsin Bookwatch "I think his work ... is brilliant ... innovative and exciting ... [and] will speak to modern Europeanists in general as well as to the historians of the Balkans in particular."  ·  Mark Mazower, Columbia University "... outstanding and innovative research. Voglis has combined a historical approach with an analysis of the human body in suffering which is profound and sensitive."  ·  Luisa Passerini, European University Institute, Florence "The treatment of prison and political prisoners is pathbreaking in this study ... The narrative is well structured, clear, and vivid."  ·  Antonis Liakos, University of Athens

Polymeris Voglis studied history at the University of Athens and the European University Institute. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University, and taught at New York University and the University of Thessaly in Greece. Currently he is Center Fellow at the international Center for Advanced Studies at New York University.