Inside postwar Thessaloniki: Gonda Van Steen on Charles Schermerhorn’s mission

·

On 17 May 1946, the American social worker Charles Schermerhorn arrived in Greece. He arrived at a critical time: Greece had just come out of a brutal Nazi German Occupation and was about to engage in a three-year-long and devastating civil war (1946-1949).

Charles was appointed by UNNRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), subsequently by the Near East Foundation, and eventually by UNICEF. That means that, in the course of a mere five years, Charles saw a tremendous amount of American-influenced administrative and logistical planning for Greece, which was a focus of intense early Cold War friction and scrutiny.

Charles’ own appointment as an UNRRA child welfare specialist attests to a Western-imported and hegemonic humanitarian model, which had to serve as an antidote to the rise of Soviet-style communism in Southern Europe and the Balkans.

The global focus of the time was on children: they held the future of their respective societies and, as adults, would determine whether a nation would align itself with the West or with the East.

BIO:

Gonda Van Steen holds the Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature in the Department of Classics at King’s College London. She also directs King’s Centre for Hellenic Studies. She received her PhD degree in Classics and Hellenic Studies from Princeton University.

Van Steen is the author of five books: Venom in Verse: Aristophanes in Modern Greece; Liberating Hellenism from the Ottoman Empire; Theatre of the Condemned: Classical Tragedy on Greek Prison Islands; and Stage of Emergency: Theater and Public Performance under the Greek Military Dictatorship of 1967-1974.

Her latest, single-authored book, Adoption, Memory, and Cold War Greece (2019), takes the reader into the uncharted terrain of Greek adoption stories that become paradigmatic of Cold War politics and history.

Van Steen most recently published an edited volume titled The Battle for Bodies, Hearts and Minds in Postwar Greece: Social Worker Charles Schermerhorn in Thessaloniki, 1946-1951 (Routledge, 2024).

Event details:

  • When: Thursday 26 June 2025, 7pm (12pm Athens’ time)
  • Speaker: Prof Gonda van Steen
  • Seminar: The Battle for Bodies, Hearts, and Minds in Postwar Greece: Social Worker Charles Schermerhorn in Thessaloniki, 1946-1951
  • Where: Online – Facebook/YouTube
  • Language: English
  • Sponsor: Penny Zagarelou Mackieson

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Cyprus War Memorial Committee launched in New South Wales

The Cyprus War Memorial Committee was officially launched this week. Read more via The Greek Herald about what it is.

The Greek Herald honoured by Mark Coure MP at Community Recognition Morning Tea

The Greek Herald was formally recognised by NSW Member for Oatley, Mark Coure MP, at a special Community Recognition Morning Tea.

Areti Ketime to perform at Zeibekiko Festival Australia 2025

Acclaimed Greek singer Areti Ketime will travel to Australia this October to perform at the third annual Zeibekiko Festival Australia.

Mates, snakes and the complexities of Greek Australian friendships

In many Greek Australian households, children grew up hearing cautionary phrases like “View today’s friends like tomorrow’s enemies.”

Strengthening Cyprus–Australia relations: Andreas Gregoriou holds talks in Canberra

During a visit to Canberra, Andreas Gregoriou met with senior Australian officials to strengthen ties in agriculture.

You May Also Like

Archbishop Makarios insists there’s ‘no room for complacency’ for World Day Against Child Labour

With the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic potentially pushing millions of vulnerable children into child labour, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios says "there is no room for compromise and complacency."

Israeli cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire in exchange for release of some hostages

Israel's cabinet has approved a deal for a four-day ceasefire on Gaza in exchange for the release of 50 Hamas-held hostages. 

Sofia on Cleveland: How a yiayia inspired the Sydney Mediterranean restaurant

“It all started with Yiayia Sofia,” Sophia Bousgas, the owner of restaurant Sofia On Cleveland in Sydney. Read more.