essay

Hunters and hunted: KAMAKI and the ambiguities of sexual predation in a Greek town

contested identities : gender and kinship in modern greece • Princeton, N.J. • Published In 1991 • Pages: 203-220

By: Zinovieff, Sofka.

Abstract

This is a study of the role of the KAMAKI in Greek society. The term KAMAKI literally refers to a harpoon for spearing fish, but in the metaphorical sense used here refers to a Greek man pursuing a foreign woman with the intention of having sex. Zinovieff describes in detail the personality of these KAMAKI, and their techniques in attracting the women tourists. The author discusses three main themes in this paper. 'First, it shows that KAMAKI is a system of male competition, whereby men without material and social status establish other grounds for prestige. Second, the act of KAMAKI highlights the sense of antagonism that many Greeks have toward 'Europe' or the West,' and third, '… the desire of many KAMAKI to change their lives, to escape, or to take material wealth or prestige from the West' (p. 203).

HRAF PubDate

2003

Region

Europe

Sub Region

Southeastern Europe

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

John Beierle ; 2002

Field Date

1985-1987

Coverage Date

1985-1987

Coverage Place

Town of Platanos (a pseudonym), Greece

Notes

Sofka Zinovieff

For bibliographical references see source 83: [Loizos and Papataxiarchis]

LCCN

90047780

LCSH

Greece