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Project

The European Refugee Controversy as a Cosmopolitan Crisis: the rise, spread and development of new moral imaginaries and movements.

From the summer of 2015 onwards, Europe has encountered a refugee crisis which has fed into a wide range of controversies, ranging from acute humanitarian needs to the alleged security threats posed by refugees. Citizens have responded to these controversies in diverse ways, some turning into amateur humanitarian aid workers overnight, others taking political engagements by protesting and manifesting against the arrival of asylum seekers in their neighbourhood. This research project aims to explore how and to which extent these controversies have fueled new moral and political ideas on 'our' precise responsibilities towards 'strangers'. To do so we examine the rise and development of civil movements that emerged in response to three types of specific refugee controversies: a) citizens helping refugees, in spite of the absence of major NGOs or national governments (e.g. Dunkirk and Calais); b) citizens protesting against the arrival of refugees (e.g. by the establishment of new asylum centers); and c) confrontational controversies where both supportive and protesting citizens encounter one another (e.g. Greek Islands where many refugees arrive). To examine these cases, we rely upon a multi-sited, qualitative research design using methods such as in-depth interviews and participant observations, so as to explore citizens' beliefs, motivations and actions in considerable depth.
Date:1 Jan 2017 →  31 Dec 2019
Keywords:REFUGEES
Disciplines:Applied sociology, Policy and administration, Social psychology, Social stratification, Social theory and sociological methods, Sociology of life course, family and health, Other sociology and anthropology