Δημήτριος Κοπανάς
Department of History & Archaeology, School of Philosophy, University of Ioannina, 2026
Type: Dissertations

Abstract:

The subject of this dissertation is the industry of Corfu, from its emergence in the last quarter of the nineteenth century until 1940, when Greece entered World War II. The main axes examined are the operation and development of industrial enterprises, the formation of labour relations, and the shaping of the conditions for workers’ collective action in the factories of Corfu during the period 1870–1940. The first part provides a brief description of the city of Corfu, the transformations it underwent after the annexation of the Ionian Islands to Greece, as well as its enduring characteristics: the presence of different ethno-religious groups within the city and the existence of the port, which remained an important transit hub for trade goods. It also examines industry in Corfu, with emphasis on the transition from the workshops of the nineteenth century to the first factories, the origins of the first industrialists, and the political and economic crises that caused upheavals in the local market. Using the tools of business history, the dissertation analyzes the most important factories in Corfu by sector, as well as the profile of the entrepreneurs who established them, their structure, strategy, and their economic, productive, and commercial operations. The analysis of labour relations constitutes the second main pillar of this thesis. The approach followed here is organized around key themes central to labour history, as reflected in recent historiography: the composition of the industrial workforce, the role of the family in the labour market, the organization and division of labour, sanitary and working conditions, wages, and workers’ collective action.

 

Defence Committee

Leda Papastefanaki, Professor, Dept. of History & Archaeology, University of Ioannina (Supervisor)

Christina Agriantoni, Emeritus Professor, Dept. of History, Archaeology & Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly

Gelina Harlaftis, Professor, Dept. of History & Archaeology, University of Crete

Sakis Gekas, Associate Professor, Dept. of History, York University, Toronto

Anna Mahaira, Professor, Dept. of History & Archaeology, University of Ioannina

Ioannis Zelepos, Associate Professor, Dept. of History & Archaeology, University of Ioannina

Nikolaos Anastasopoulos, Assistant Professor, Dept. of History & Archaeology, University of Ioannina