Αυτοστέγαση, τώρα! Η αθέατη πλευρά της αμερικανικής βοήθειας στην Ελλάδα /Self-Sheltering, Now! The Invisible Side of the American Aid to Greece

Abstract

The book presents the unexplored history of US housing-aid sent to Greece as part of the Truman Doctrine and, later, of the Marshall Plan. It examines US reports and other official documents as well as the role of multiple actors, including two prominent postwar figures: the influential US housing expert Jacob Crane and the Greek architect and planner Constantinos Doxiadis. Being the first large-scale experiment of its kind, the Greek scheme promoted self-sheltering practices (investment of individual labor and savings) for the reconstruction of rural settlements. The scheme evoked ideologies of self-effort and national pride which proved important for the country’s post-war modernization and development in the context of emerging Cold War politics and for establishing the framework of self-help’s allure in international aid.