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learned to break through security locks, and what had happen to my possessions. This
was an important moment in my fieldwork. Following the break-in I found myself
trolling the seedier parts of Athens ducking into pawn shops, alleys, basements, and
talking with shady characters looking for information about the thieves that broke into
my home or any hint of my stolen items which I imagined had now become part of the
criminal underworld. Through it all, I was aided by the Roma who directed me to places
I never imagined existed, several of my Greek neighbors who drove me around and
helped me explore locations public transportation did not reach and where taxis wouldn’t
travel, and the undocumented migrant community which let me into their homes and
networks, helped me find hidden places, and protected me throughout.
Eventually, I replaced some of my missing items and abandoned my search.
However, the contacts I gained and the worlds to which I found access stayed with me
and informed my larger questions. The following pages will help the reader understand
both the secret and the open places in and around Athens and it will explore the narratives
of some of the most reclusive, guarded, and influential people in city. This work
endeavors to render a little strange a city that has become all too familiar to researchers
and in doing so, challenge the way we think about Athens and the social, cultural, and
political changes that shape it today.