The poetics of anti-Americanism in Greece: rhetoric, agency and local meaning

In this article we examine the content and rationale of anti- Americanism in Greece, drawing ethnographic information from two urban centers, Patras and Volos. We pay special attention to the con- spiracy theory attributes of this rhetoric, and, instead of dismissing it or seeing it primarily as a manifestation of nationalist thinking, we attempt to unpack the threads of meaning that make it so appealing in local contexts. We look in particular at the etiology of blame within this particular discourse and try to explain the specific readings of history and politics that make it significant in local contexts. We argue that Greek anti-Americanism has an empowering potential for local actors, as it provides them with a certain degree of discursive agency over wider political processes that are beyond their immediate control.