Abstract

Most scholarship on the Greek presence in early modern Venice has so far focused on the !"th and !#th centuries, namely a period of expansion of Greek community life and legal acceptance of the orthodox faith in the city. This article instead addresses the issue of being a minority in a context of demographic and economic decline: that of the ill-famed Venetian !$th-century. From demographic downturn to shifting migratory practices, communal disaffiliation and confessional turmoil, we shall review some key aspects of this multifactorial crisis and assess its role in redefining Greek “minorityµ identity in a changing social, religious, and political environment.