The streets speak Greek: Hellenization and Identity Formation in Limassol street-naming under Christodoulos Sozos’ Mayoralty

Abstract

This paper offers a historical exploration on how the politics of street naming in Limassol, particularly under the mayoralty of Christodoulos Sozos (1908-1912), mapped the evolution of Greek Cypriot national identity and the increasingly articulated demands
for a union with Greece. This process entailed not just the replacement of former English and Ottoman names, but a deliberate selection of names that underscored Cyprus’ deep-rooted historical, religious, and national ties with Greece. This initiative, undertaken
during the mayoralty of Sozos, arguably represented the first instance where city streets became politically contested spaces, transforming them into cultural arenas for projecting a group’s self-image and facilitating the politicization of space. These efforts
incited the reaction of the British, who perceived their authority over public space being challenged, and the Turkish Cypriots, who were committed to maintaining the status quo that prevailed under Ottoman rule. More than a mere re-naming process, the act of
renaming streets mirrored the city’s social dynamics and signalled a silent assertion of power. Street names served not only as living testimonials to the city’s history but also as markers of its evolving identity, encapsulating narratives that were both shaped by
and reflective of the prevailing socio-political context.