Like high school students, nations can be divided into who’s popular and who’s not. Since first studying abroad in Japan at age sixteen, I’ve been keenly aware of its particular popularity. Myself and countless others have been drawn to the country through its soft power — watching anime on Toonami, buying manga at Barnes & Noble, etc. These cultural exports promote a modern, intriguing Japan. As interest in the nation grows, so does its accessibility through translated books, fan subs, academic programs, etc. As a Japanese major, I enjoyed all of these things.
But my ancestry isn’t Japanese; it’s Greek. Greece, however has been much harder for me to get to know. Its cultural exports are few, translated books rare — there is currently only one Greek-language film on Hulu. I feel the irony that as a Greek-American my life is much more intertwined with Japan than Greece.
XÉNOS is the fantasy of a trendy, accessible, modern Greece. Today, through social media, celebrities hold more power than ever. What if one musician could rebrand a culture? What if they could help a nation update its narrative and compete with the cultural A-list?
