Christopher Theodosios Lazakis

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 aneethnic Con flict in Turkey (1990), Victory and Def eat - A neel (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 neerous articles ineewspapers 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 aneenvironmental destruction. His whole life was an impressively successful struggle to harmonee the values of enlightenment aneeducation 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, Aneeas 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.