The Postcard as a Means of Remembrance and of Maintaining Contact Between Expatriates and Their Place of Origin: Kythira – Australia: 1950–1970

In this work by Nikolaos Lourantos, postcards are treated in a manner entirely different from their usual function—that is, as tourist souvenirs. They are examined as cultural artifacts that serve as a tool for exploring the immigrant’s nostalgia. Through this, he seeks to uncover all the elements that transformed Greek immigrants into an integral part of their new homeland, while still preserving the distinctiveness of their origins. Using data from one of the largest Greek emigration waves—that from Kythira, particularly during the period 1950–1970— this study seeks to identify the impact that receiving postcards from their hometown had on these individuals and their descendants. The research employed an empirical approach using a representative sample of material, based on the view that this required, first and foremost, a qualitative analysis, followed by a complementary quantitative analysis, in order to produce a comprehensive view of the whole, since, in addition to the semiotic interpretation of the postcards, the study draws on a questionnaire survey and an ethnographic approach. Through a personal ethnographic perspective, an effort was made to analyze these experiences and integrate them with the research. Finally, the study revolves around the fundamental emotion of immigrants—the one that permeates their existence and gives it meaning: Nostalgia.