RETURNING LOST TRACES: THE EXODUS AS AN IDENTITY TOPOGRAPHY

Abstract

This paper examines the return after exodus as a process of identity reconstruction through cultural memory and space. Return is not understood as a physical act, but as a symbolic journey through memory, in which the refugee rediscovers his Home in memory, language, and collective memory. Through an analysis of the narratives of Aegean Macedonians and their literary representations, the paper examines the topography of lost spaces and the way in which a new cultural geography of belonging is being constructed.