Women of Orthodox Faith in Cyprus amid Historical Transitions

Year 2019, Issue: 3, 129 - 160, 27.12.2019

Areti Demosthenous

Abstract

A fully effective
participation of women of faith in political life could contribute significantly
to the prevention of Huntington’ s Clash of Civilizations, making for a more
humane global society. The focus of this article is the contribution of
Orthodox Christian women to the life and culture of Cyprus, a country with a
history of conflict and division across ethnic and religious lines, something
not rare in the Middle East. The northern section of Cyprus has been under
Turkish rule since 1974 resulting in the partition of the island. This has a majority
Muslim population; albeit with an existing Christian presence composed of Christians,
Maronite inhabitants as well as foreign workers. A survey conducted in the summer
of 2019 sheds light on the image of women of faith in daily life and society.
Central to my analysis is women’s struggle for reconciliation between Turkish
Cypriots and Greek Cypriots amid the United Nations’ continuing efforts for a
settlement to the Cyprus conflict. The role of women is examined along with a
brief historical outline of each period, which is important in order to
understand their effort and achievements.

Keywords

Cyprus, gender, Orthodox Church, Christian women, Muslim Women, financial crisis, reconstruction, reconciliation, Turkish Cypriots

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