The process by which successive ethnic groups shape and are themselves reshaped by the cultural values of their adopted country is the social history of an entire people. No ethnic group can be viewed as an isolated phenomenon, but only in its interaction with the larger society, one that can prove validating or invalidating for ethnic members.

There is no overarching sociological theory that can place all the various and diverse ethnic groups under one rubric, but we can examine each one contextually and comparatively, in a quest for ethnic understanding.

This book on the Greek Americans is just such a quest. It follows the lead of Max Weber who held that the key to interpretive sociology is not only to observe and measure, but also to share in the world of meaning. The Greek Americans are an ethno/religious group, allied with the Greek Orthodox Church, whose historic ties to ancient Greece, Byzantium, and modern Greece sets them apart from most other white European ethnics.

Alice Scourby - Professor Emerita of Sociology, Long Island University 2008