Academic Refugees or Undesirable Newcomers? Greek Anti-Junta Networks, Francophone Intellectuals, and Canada’s Quandary during Quebec’s Quiet Revolution, 1960–1976

Following the 1967 Greek military coup, an intellectual diaspora emerged as many exiles sought refuge in Quebec, often after transiting through Paris. Greek academics such as Basile Spiridonakis and Nicolas Oikonomides became active in university and activist circles during Quebec’s Quiet Revolution. French political scientist Jean Meynaud, an eminent Hellenist who arrived in response to Quebec’s growing demand for Francophone expertise, also played a key role in anti-Greek junta and local democratic debates. Drawing on archival research and interviews, this article employs Gisèle Sapiro’s analytical framework to examine patterns of political engagement. The study reveals how transnational solidarity, forged through shared struggles for democracy and self-determination, was received with ambivalence by the Canadian federal government.