A lecture at Sacramento State Hellenic Studies Program will examine a lesser-documented chapter of Greek migration to the United States, focusing on the movement of Greek communities from the Ottoman Empire and the identities that formed in the process.
The talk, “Migration from the Ottoman Empire to California: An Introduction to the Ottoman Greeks of the US Digital History Project,” will be presented by Yiorgo Topalidis, a sociologist whose research centers on migration, race, and collective memory.
The lecture introduces the Ottoman Greeks of the United States Digital History Project, an effort to document early migration patterns and explore how Greek-speaking populations from the Ottoman Empire understood and redefined their identity after arriving in the United States.
Rather than focusing only on timelines and destinations, the project looks at how identity evolved over time, shaped by language, religion, and the ways Greek migrants were categorized in American society. It also considers how these experiences were preserved through family memory, community life, and historical records.
Event details
- Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
- Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM
- Location: Senator Nicholas Petris Room, Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection, California State University, Sacramento (Third Floor, Room 3023)
For more information, contact Dr. Katerina Lagos at klagos@csus.edu or (916) 266-3263.
Please confirm event details with the organizers before attending, as dates, times, locations, and registration information may change.