Inside Out and Outside In: Gossip, Hospitality and the Greek Character

Gossip and hospitality whilst representing antithetical aspects of ‘the Greek character’ and involving ‘closure’ and ‘openness’, share many underlying features. Both are exchange relationships and concern appearances and both involve a tension between people protecting or constructing their own and family’s reputation and status. Yet in practice when the two are combined in the same act. The effects can be ambiguous.