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A Cultural Panic in the Province? Counterurban Mobilities, Creativity, and Crisis in Greece
Author(s) -
Gkartzios Menelaos,
Scott Karen
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
population, space and place
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.398
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1544-8452
pISSN - 1544-8444
DOI - 10.1002/psp.1933
Subject(s) - mobilities , context (archaeology) , collectivism , creativity , consumption (sociology) , sociology , economic geography , political science , economy , social science , geography , economics , individualism , law , archaeology
In this paper, we explore the link between counterurban mobilities and a potential emergent cultural economy in rural locations, associated with the economic crisis in Greece. Drawing on a quantitative survey of Athenian residents and qualitative interviews with counterurban migrants, we observe that in the context of the economic crisis in Greece, many urban‐based households have relocated or seek to relocate to the Greek province, creating perhaps a new paradigm for conceptualising rural mobilities and their associated transformations. In that regard, we observe that counterurban mobilities are linked with changing cultural mobilities and phenomena including a new wave of ideas and creative activities (characterised by voluntarism and collectivism) and a shift in the patterns of cultural consumption. Therefore, we stress the need for a reconceptualising of counterurban mobilities in this context and highlight the need for more research that explores the role of creative expression and activity in times of crisis, particularly in the context of supporting the opportunities that an organically triggered rural cultural economy may offer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.