Since the summer of 2015, the number of Albanians requesting asylum in Western Europe has risen dramatically. Although the number of asylum requests dropped during 2016, the number of people migrating illegally has continued to grow. Balkanist spoke with several Albanians in different countries and asked them why they chose…
Tag: migration
The Migration Crisis Today: A Conversation
The Migration Crisis doesn’t make the front page quiet like it used to, but the issue continues to effect the region, and Europe at large. Just last week the European Parliament criticized its member states for having relocated just 11% of their total obligations. To take a look at the state of the migration crisis…
Fleeing Decades of War, Refugees from Afghanistan Are Stranded in Serbia
Fleeing nearly four decades of continuous war and a recent resurgence in terrorist violence and U.S. airstrikes at home, many refugees from Afghanistan remain stranded in Serbia with little hope of ever being granted asylum in the EU. Emerging from the darkness of an abandoned warehouse in Belgrade’s “new Berlin” nightlife…
Gendering ‘the Crisis’: Austerity Politics, Violence and Women’s Struggle in Greece
Amber Karanikolas on the role activist women are playing in response to the ongoing Greek ‘crisis’. In Greece, women play a large part in the struggle and activism of the anti-austerity movement. The year 2008 saw Konstantina Kuneva, Bulgarian migrant laborer, unionist and active feminist, suffer the most severe assault on…
Op-ed: Changing Britain, A Reply to Sara Gvero on the EU Referendum
Dragan Plavšić offers an alternative take on Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the rise in racist incidents since the referendum, and parallels with Yugoslavia. Introduction Sara Gvero (‘Shrinking Britain: A Migrant’s View on the EU Referendum’ Balkanist July 6, 2016) laments the UK’s decision to leave the EU. She…
Shrinking Britain: A Migrant’s View on the EU Referendum
A migrant from Mostar, Yugoslavia on the meaning of Brexit. By Sara Gvero. When I first moved to London it felt like my life had suddenly shrank. All the things that had been important to me until then receded into the background as I navigated my way through the challenges…
Guardians of the Frontier? Migration, Racism and Solidarities Along the ‘Balkan Corridor’
What’s happening to refugees along the so-called ‘Balkan corridor’? Catherine Baker offers a smart and comprehensive take, along with a list of potentially helpful resources for refugees in the region. If you have any further information that may be of help, please send it along to editor@balkanist.net, as we hope to…