Preserving culture and community: A principal’s struggle for the survival of a Greek minority school in İstanbul

Abstract

The Greek minority schools in Istanbul represent an underexplored context where educational leadership and cultural preservation intersect within a fragile framework of political reciprocity. This study explores the lived experience of a principal at a Greek minority secondary school, drawing on a life history approach. Data were collected through an in-depth interview with the principal, who has served for over a decade. Thematic analysis revealed a multidimensional struggle to sustain the school’s educational mission and cultural identity amid declining student numbers, shifting family preferences, curriculum constraints, and institutional pressures. The findings also illustrate how the principal balances formal leadership with the informal role of cultural guardian, maintaining the school as a space of identity and continuity. Focusing on a minority school leader’s narrative, this study contributes to the limited literature on national minority education in Turkey. It offers insights into leadership’s operation under demographic, political, and structural challenges.