Greeks in America and Greece: The 42-Cent Difference

Abstract

A TTACHMENT OF American to a noun indicating country of origin is one way in which Americans create a name for a given ethnic group. Thus, there are Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans, Japanese-Americans, and Mexican-Americans. The construction rule breaks down for some groups (Puerto-Ricans, for example), and some groups resist the' labeling (Chicanos). For other groups, the appellation seems forced (Jewish-Americans). Still, the tendency to name ethnic groups in this fashion is strong, and in recent years the use of the term Native Americans has evolved. The construction forces users to make certain assumptions about ethnic identity. Mexican-Americans, for instance, would be expected by virtue of nomenclature to identify with both Mexico and with the United States. Existence of the terms Chicano, Latino, and Spanish-American pose questions regarding naming practices. Who calls who what, and when? Naming and name calling are areas ripe for study by scholars interested in processes of ethnicity. This paper deals not with naming per se but with ethnic identity behind naming. While many people of Greek ancestry in the United States refer to themselves as Greeks, they think of themselves as different than Greeks in Greece, and they might be said to conceive of themselves as Greek-Americans. While they merge themselves under one label with all Greeks, they make clear the distinctions between themselves and Greeks in the homeland. In this paper differences between Greeks in the United States and Greeks in Greece (as perceived and identified by Greek-Americans and Greek nationals in a Southwestern American city) will be explored.