The authors behind this website are Jenna Abamonte, Nikki Petropoulos, Christopher Trethewey and Ysanne Lauren Turton. Our work was completed as part of the MA Heritage Management degree run by The University of Buisness and Economics in Athens, and The University of Kent in the United Kingdom.

The work presented on this website stems from our dissertation completeed in 2020 entitled:

Paradise Lost: Exile Islands in the Eastern Mediterranean

In our project, we propose a cultural route between five islands of dark and traumatic heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean: Makronisos, Ikaria, Lipari, Ventotene, and Goli Otok and examinine their usages as political exile and interment islands in the 20th century. We place a large emphasis on the voices of both the survivors and other stakeholders as personal recounts hold a more powerful impact than simple facts , especially when the nature of the dark heritage involved provokes so-called ‘Hot Interpretation’ (Uzzell & Ballantyne 1999:509) — viscerally emotive responses by viewers or visitors to spaces with traumatic subject matter.

We believe it important to tell all sides of history and shine light on the voices that have been repressed due to their polarising views with the victor.

Contact us below