THE CHILDREN OF ADOPTION IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE ARE LOOKING FOR THEIR ROOTS Interview by Justin Frangoulis-Argyris, Journalist and Writer, with Gonda Van Steen.  Published in the Greek Huffington Post on October 3, 2018. English translation ----- A whole generation of children born in Greece in the 50s, 60s and 70s abandoned on steps of homes, nurseries and orphanages, children given to American and European families for adoption, replacing the social welfare of post-war Greece, today seeks to find its roots . Dr. Gonda Van Steen , Professor of Hellenic Studies at Florida University, has explored this research by trying to find the case files but also to find a methodological correlation of the Cold War era with the influence of America and Europe on the social fabric of Greece. The massive adoption wave from Greece to America proved to be the most compact example of Greece's dependence on the United States. Adopted Greek children retain the experiences ...

Van Steen, Gonda,   “‘Are We There Yet?’ The Greek Adoptees’ Road of Return–An Essay.” In  Ergon: Greek/American Arts and Letters , edited by Y. Anagnostou (7 July 2018, online, 10 pages): Author’s Note:  In the second half of May 2018, I traveled to Greece with four Americans who, when they were children in the 1950s, were dispatched by Greece for adoption in the United States. Marianna, Linda, Jay, and Lori come from all corners of the States, but their common roots lie in or near the port of Patras. We visited various places that were important landmarks of their earliest days and months. For all four of them, the trip was a direct encounter with Greece and its people and also with their adoption history. The participants also spent ample time getting to know each other. I observed them and kept a travel journal. I encouraged them, too, to write down their own impressions and to share pictures. The essay below reflects our collective effort capturing and reli...