5000 Years of Cycladic Identity, Now for Sale: Economic Development, Nostalgia, and the Politics of Access in Greece's Mythical Paradise

What happens when an entire landscape becomes a product and its people collateral losses? In the Cyclades, decades of tourism development have not only shifted the local economy but also renegotiated the boundaries of memory and belonging. The seasonal rhythms of return, founded on the basis of familiarity and modesty, echoed patterns of continuity that trace their roots to the 5,000-year-old history and culture of the Cycladic Civilisation, have been renegotiated under the logic of extraction. Landscapes are transformed into assets, access is determined by purchasing power, and tangible and intangible heritage and practices are repackaged as attractions or concealed altogether. This thesis explores how tourism, influenced by post-crisis development, has accelerated the cultural and spatial commodification of the Cycladic landscape, as well as how these shifts have affective and social consequences. The main question underlying the research is how modern tourism development standards reconfigure perceptions of belonging, access and memory, as well as the sociocultural implications of these shifts. Explored through semi-structured interviews with Greek and foreign visitors, the study presents reflections around the erasure of informal tourism practices, the decline of local culture and the effects of commercialised and seasonal economy. Nostalgia and feelings of loss emerge as expressions of resistance to the cultural and environmental erosion of the Cyclades, the rupture of generational communal rhythms and access to what was once considered a common good. The Cyclades are more than a case of uneven development; they demonstrate the emotional and cultural costs of a tourism model that prioritises profit over participation. Therefore, focus on continuity and inclusion is a fundamental element of the reimagining of tourism in the Cyclades and Greece as a whole.