DURHAM – CHRISTOPHER THEODOSIOS LAZAKIS
We mourn the death of Christopher Theodosios Lazakis, who passed away in Durham
on January 1, 2017.
Born October 5, 1928 in the Greek village of Kleisari, North Epirus, Christopher initially
followed in the footsteps of his father Theodosios, working as a teacher in North Epirus
and on Syros. After travelling to the US, he earned an MA in Political Science (New
School for Social Research, 1971), pursuing his special interest in International
Relations and Balkan Politics. He taught in his field in the US and in Greece, and
worked as a researcher at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies (Athens). His
publications include America, Greece and PASOK (1989), Ethnic Groups and Ethnic
Con flict in Turkey (1990), Victory and Def eat – A Novel (2000), Albania: The
Perpetuation of Nationalism and the Position of Ethnic Greeks (2002), The Crisis of the
Political System and the Mobilization of the Greek People (2011), and Memoirs of a
Writer [forthcoming], and numerous articles in newspapers and magazines. For more
information on his books visit ctlazakis.wordpress.com .
Christopher’s central lifelong vocation was raising awareness in support of the Greek
ethnic group in North Epirus, his homeland. His village upbringing also endowed him
with an ecological sensibility, expressed in his writings and practices. He was an
outspoken critic of neoliberalism, globalization and environmental destruction. His whole
life was an impressively successful struggle to harmonize the values of enlightenment
and education together with respect for the local and indigenous, and those of us who
had the honor of knowing him must now build on that guiding legacy in his absence. He
closely followed international and Greek politics and continued writing until just before
his death. He loved long walks around Kifisia, the suburb of Athens where he lived for
over three decades. He was also an excellent chef.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 49 years, Mary Ellen, his child Anastasia, brothers
Themistoklis, Andreas and Aristeidis, and nieces and nephews. His funeral will be held
in the Greek Orthodox tradition, and his remains will be returned to Greece at a future
date.
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