Irregularisation and the city: Insights from the case of Athens, Greece


Online only

This presentation discusses the presence of migrants in Athens, Greece, particularly those with irregular status. It provides an overview of the interrelationships between the city and migration, focusing on how space and society interact to determine the trajectories and settlement paths of irregular migrants. Several specific aspects are discussed, in particular how migration policies have led to the ‘irregularisation’ of a significant number of migrants who have been living on Greek territory for decades; how recent asylum policies and the accommodation system reinforce such tendencies and leave people unprotected; the everyday lives of undocumented migrants on the margins of the city – even when they live in its very centre; urban practices and policies implemented in the Athens metropolitan area and how they have affected the relations between migration and urban space from a critical point of view. The presentation draws on several international research projects on migration, displacement, and returns recently conducted in the case of Athens, Greece.

Zoom link: zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvceGopjopGNbyNmm5O7ZfAfl3D1DokMIr