Grasping the meaning of integration in an era of (forced) mobility: ethnographic insights from an informal refugee camp

ABSTRACT

The European refugee ‘crisis’ changed the migration dynamics of many EU member states. As a result of this mass movement of refugees, the Western Balkan Route was formed. Along this way, temporary settlement camps were created to cater to the needs of people on the move. This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork that took place at the port of Piraeus (Athens, Greece) camp. Through insights from participant observation, it brings to the fore imaginaries of movement and inclusion in Central and North-Western European societies along with acts of temporary local integration as a result of arrested mobilities on the ground.