One of the largest oral history projects ever undertaken in Greece, Istorima aims to connect us with our common history by collecting over 20,000 stories on an array of different subjects and periods.
Founded by journalist Sofia Papaioannou and historian Katherine Fleming, Istorima blends citizen journalism with oral history. They are extremely grateful to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for its support of the project.
To collect and save the stories, Istorima has employed 700 young field reporters from all over Greece. A team of 120 editors, sound editors and lawyers edit these stories in order to ensure that they are presented in the best possible way.
Here you can find the stories of people whose lives and experiences are not recorded in history books and state archives, told in their own voices.
The stories we collect, about the past and present, from all regions of Greece as well as from abroad, are hosted in Istorima’s Archive, which is open and freely accessible to all. The Istorima Archive is a research tool providing publicly available primary and secondary sources about the past, present, and future: recordings, transcriptions, photographs, video, and other documentation.
The Archive preserves the stories of people whose lives and experiences are not recorded in history books. Istorima gives the narrators what may be their only chance to recount their lives and experiences and gives their listeners the opportunity to hear, feel, and connect emotionally with their stories.
The stories collected are gradually being uploaded in their entirety to the Archive, after both audio and legal processing. So, don’t worry if you haven’t yet seen your own story. You can find the full-length interviews in the Archive, and selected stories are turned into podcasts and are hosted on: www.istorima.org
We are always seeking out new ideas, partnerships, and suggestions, and the Archive can also host any primary sound files that you might have to give us. Please contact us.
Istorima is a non-profit company that operates with a founding grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation as part of its Recharging the Youth initiative.
It is also supported by donations and sponsorship from companies and individuals who believe in its mission.
Istorima is all of us, and the stories that we do not want to be forgotten. We invite you to be swept up by the power of stories and connect with our common history.
Our Team
Katherine Fleming
Co-FounderSofia Papaioannou
FounderKyriaki Fotiadou
Head of Digital Archive & Project ManagerIoulitina Skordaki
Head of Digital Archive & Project ManagerSpyros Pipergias
Chief Information OfficerMaya Fillipopoulou
Editor in ChiefStavros Vlachos
JournalistAnastasia Voutsara
Head of HRSpyros Lymperopoulos
Sound EngineerDimitris Papadakis
Sound EngineerDemie Hadji
JournalistTriantafyllos Restemis
HR DepartmentCharis Pagonidou
JournalistAndreas Pappas
Podcast Creator
Co-Founder
Katherine Fleming
Katherine Fleming is Co-Founder, with Sofia Papaioannou, of Istorima. A historian who holds degrees from Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California at Berkeley. She is the President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the largest Arts institution in the World. She was Provost of New York University (NYU) and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is the author of many books and articles, with an increasing focus on public and participatory history. In Istorima, as in her collaboration with Sofia Papaioannou, she has found the perfect intersection of her intellectual and personal interests.
She suggests:
Co-Founder
Katherine Fleming
Katherine Fleming is Co-Founder, with Sofia Papaioannou, of Istorima. A historian who holds degrees from Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California at Berkeley. She is the President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the largest Arts institution in the World. She was Provost of New York University (NYU) and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is the author of many books and articles, with an increasing focus on public and participatory history. In Istorima, as in her collaboration with Sofia Papaioannou, she has found the perfect intersection of her intellectual and personal interests.
She suggests:
The Istorima Archive is also supported by a core team that edits and processes the collected interviews: Penny Vasilaki (PhD Candidate in Modern Greek Philology), Kostis Kotsonis (Journalist), Dimitris M. Moschos (Historical-Political Scientist), Zina Sotiropoulou (Historian-Archaeologist), Katerina Xeimonetou (Folklorist) and Niki Fotiadou (Historian-Journalist). Nikolas Tsimplakis and Manolis Lianis are the archive's Sound Engineers. Scientific collaborators of Istorima are Christina Akrivopoulou, Lawyer, Expert of the European Commission and Giorgos Antoniou, Assistant Professor of History at AUTH. Advising on the project is Doug Boyd, Director at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History at the University of Kentucky Libraries, and recent president of the Oral History Association.