Sustainable Development in the Mountainous Grammos Region Τhrough Collective, Participatory, and Εxperiential Practices: Insights From the Two Autumn Schools of the Department of His-tory and Archaeology, University of Patras
Published:
Jul 25, 2025
Keywords:
Sustainable Development, Traumatic Memory, Public History, Mountainous Regions, Grammos, Experiential Relationship
Abstract
Mountainous regions affected by violent historical ruptures constitute complex socio-ecological systems in which natural environments, collective memory, and cultural identity interact in deeply entangled ways. The Grammos mountain area in Northwestern Greece represents a paradigmatic case, combining exceptional ecological value with an intense traumatic historical legacy stemming from the Greek Civil War (1946-1949). This article argues that sustainable development in such contexts cannot be conceived merely as an economic or environmental strategy, but must be understood as a collective, participatory, and memory-sensitive local process grounded in an experiential relationship between human communities, ecological systems, and historical experience. Drawing on the educational and commemorative practices developed through the Autumn Schools on Memory and History hosted at the National Reconciliation Park of Grammos, the study explores how public history, trauma awareness, and community participation operate as critical mechanisms for transforming traumatic landscapes into spaces of social dialogue, ecological responsibility, and long-term sustainable development.
Article Details
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Merantzas, C., & Karakosta, K. (2025). Sustainable Development in the Mountainous Grammos Region Τhrough Collective, Participatory, and Εxperiential Practices: Insights From the Two Autumn Schools of the Department of His-tory and Archaeology, University of Patras. Technical Annals, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.12681/ta.44323
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- Sustainable Development
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