Title: From Dormant Greek Adoption History to Activist Movement: Records, Research, and Restoration of Greek Citizenship for Greek Adoptees
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Gonda van Steen (King’s College London)
Date: Wednesday, 18 November 2026
Time: 15:30
Location: Surgical Theatre (Chirurgisch Theater), Amsterdam University Library (Vendelstraat 2-8, 1012 XX Amsterdam)(no registration needed)
Language: English
Note: The Greek-born adoptees who grew up in the Netherlands are especially welcome
Supported by the department of Modern Greek Language and Culture of the University of Amsterdam and the Dutch Society for Modern Greek Studies (NGNS)
Abstract
The history of some 4,000 Greek children who were sent for adoption abroad, mainly to the USA and to the Netherlands, is now better known. What light does a taboo adoption history shed on family and social history? What did we learn? What activist imperatives emerged from the close scrutiny of files and lives? What has been achieved for those most affected, adoptees and first families? Gonda Van Steen places emphasis on archival research, oral testimonies, access and activism. She highlights, in particular, the adoptees’ path to restored Greek citizenship, which her team of Nostos for Greek Adoptees achieved in 2025.
Bio
Gonda Van Steen is Koraes Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King’s College London and Director of its Centre for Hellenic Studies. Her research spans Modern Greek studies, classical reception, theater and performance, cultural memory, and the politics of heritage. She is recognized for her work on the reception of ancient Greek drama in modern Greece and for groundbreaking research on the international adoption of Greek children during the Cold War. Combining archival scholarship with public engagement and policy impact, her work examines how culture, memory, and identity shape both collective histories and individual lives.