Gonda Van Steen : Adoption & Belonging in Cold War Greece

 In this powerful episode of Hellenic Voice, we welcome Gonda Van Steen, Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King's College London, and author of Adoption, Memory, and Cold War Greece. 

Together, we explore one of the most complex and often silenced chapters of modern Greek history: the mass international adoption of Greek children in the aftermath of the Civil War and during the Cold War. 

What was presented at the time as humanitarian rescue unfolded within a deeply political landscape shaped by ideology, displacement, and global Cold War agendas. But beyond policy and diplomacy lie the human stories — children separated from their origins, identities reshaped across continents, and adults decades later searching for truth, belonging, and memory. 

In this conversation, we discuss: 

• The historical and political context that enabled mass adoptions
• The role of the Greek state and foreign institutions
• Memory, identity, and the lifelong impact of displacement
• Emotional reunions and the search for biological families
• Ethical reckoning and national responsibility

Professor Van Steen also reflects on how meeting adoptees transformed her research, and why this history remains urgently relevant today.
 
This episode is a deeply human exploration of loss, resilience, and the enduring power of memory — reminding us that history is not only written in archives, but carried within people.
 
If this conversation moves you, subscribe to Hellenic Voice, share the episode, and join us as we continue to give space to the voices that shape our Hellenic past and present.
 

Music by Evanthia Reboutsika. Used with permission. Thank you for letting us feature your music!