Transporter, cacher, détruire : les « objets réfugiés » des orthodoxes de Turquie (1912-1924)

Abstract

Adopting a biographical approach to objects, this article aims to trace the history of the “refugee objects” that Greek- and Turkish-speaking Orthodox brought to Greece during a period that begins in 1912 (the “first exile”) and ends with the population exchange following the Lausanne Convention of 1923. Three eventualities are examined: objects that were transported, hidden, or destroyed. Only those that were set in motion and also arrived at their destination can be characterized today as “refugee objects.” Transport under these circumstances requalified the object, conferring upon it a testimonial value in relation to its former life, the misadventures of exile, and the difficulties experienced after arriving in Greece.