Join us in the discussion with Nerina Boursinou as we aim to unravel the vital role of technology in facilitating navigation through dangerous journeys and daily life within detention centers, refugee camps, and housing squats.
Can you tell us a few words about your research?
My research started back in 2015 at a period when Greece experienced heightened arrivals of migrants passing through the country on their way to Europe. At the time, images showing migrants using their smartphones were circulating on the internet and the news, in a sort of weaponised discourse that challenged the legitimacy of these people’s claims for protection. In other words, a xenophobic narrative that pushed the idea that migrants were not really in need because they were rich and could afford a smartphone.
Coming from a media and communication background, I set out to study the role of digital media and the Internet in the lives of travelling populations and examine the importance of technology for people who embark in such perilous journeys. My study then focused on the everyday lives of migrants on the move, who lived in detention centres, refugee camps and housing squats in Greece, as a result of their inability to move further into the European core due to border controls and restrictions.
What did you find in the research?
Many things really!
One of the main findings was and I cannot stress that enough, is that being a migrant is a temporary condition, it is not and should not define a person. All of my participants were people with their own thoughts, ambitions, dreams, problems. Understanding this and getting to know people, helps us to deconstruct harmful stereotypes about migrants and find our commonalities, instead of focusing on our differences. Something else I found, was that even though people were made immobile for an unknown amount of time and basically had no idea when they would be able to move forward, or if this would be successful, they really tried not to lose hope and to become part of the Athenian society, even on a temporary basis. This is not an easy task, you know, because staying in this liminal condition of not knowing and not being able to make long-term plans, can really mess with your mental health. But the people I spoke to (most of them were young people and perhaps this has something to do?) were determined to build relations, make their plans come true and they kept working towards that direction day by day, despite the various setbacks. Another thing, was that digital media and information/Communication technologies more generally, played various and complex roles in the everyday lives of people who lived in precarious and liminal settings. These were also setting that differed between them and were organised in quite different ways, so unavoidably people’s realities also varied. Information and Communication Technologies were, indeed, as other colleagues have stated in their research, lifelines and helped with practical aspects of the everyday (e.g translation services or the GPS), but they were also used to maintain memories of people from back home, songs and photos of their countries and previous lives, to help them connect – as newcomers- with other people (e.g. via social networking sites, or by sharing their memories and starting discussions about that). At the same time, and for some they were devices that carried a certain amount of stress for people: I remember for example a participant saying that went off Facebook for a while because the constant amount of bad news about their home country, city and friends was causing them worry and pain. At this point, I definitely need to talk about the crucial role of solidarity networks (aka the solidarians), which enormously helped migrants navigate their lives in Athens by offering practical, emotional, material support, very often acting as communication and cultural intermediaries, helping migrants understand how things work in the city. I did research with solidarity groups who were quite political and critical, and I saw that they weren’t interested in doing charitable actions but to challenge (everyday) borders (in the sense of urban mobility but also in making connections with the local society), to cultivate relations of trust between themselves and newcomers and to make an attempt of materialising principles of horizontality, mutual aid, communal living etc. A last finding, perhaps I should have opened with it, is that, although we used to see and hear about migrants who arrive with their expensive phones here, the reality is that even though people do have smartphones of course (this shouldn’t come as a surprise really), it is not a given that they will have the money to pay for packages, finding internet connectivity that is stable and reliable is not easy when they are on the move, many of them had their phones lost in the sea, stolen, or broken without the possibility to replace them. For migrants who are detained, the situation is even more challenging, and this is where solidarity groups come into play as they provide a link between them and the society.
How does art, including music and other forms of expression, contribute to community-building and a sense of belonging between host societies and migrant populations?
I think that art, including music but also in its other forms such as theatre, poems, painting of course or dance just to name a few, works as a point of connection by creating the necessary emotional space for people to come together and interact. Interaction is the first step in doing so. I understand art as a protected, safer environment, an escape if you like, from the widespread hostility and propaganda. As such, people can approach each other, explore their (cultural, social, political) differences and similarities and begin to build connections, relations of understanding and trust in order to eventually transform into communities. Imagine for example a collective kitchen, where people bring their different instruments to play together, sing, dance and converse in different languages and approach the unknown, the ‘other’ with curiosity, not fear.
If this process is successful, then belonging is the outcome. It takes time of course and it is, as you say, a sense. A feeling. It does not necessarily translate to official and legal understandings of belonging, such as citizenship or possession of a legal status etc. But it doesn’t matter.
Is art something you used in your PhD in any sort of way?
I have a great appreciation for art and I am deeply envious of people with an artistic flair. Unfortunately, I am not an artist myself, I do however believe that art can and should be used in academic research because it makes everything more interesting and accessible. In this spirit, I have cooperated with a team of participants and a graphic designer in making a digital zine in which we discuss everyday life in Athens. Through their personal opinions, stories, selected photographs we try to bring the diverse experiences of migrants, workers, women who live and move around the the city and find their points of connection. You can read it for free here if you like: https://rul.st-andrews.ac.uk/athens-zine/
What are your future plans?
I have spent the previous year working on disseminating my thesis findings, as part of my ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (ESRC stands for Economic Social and Research Council). It is a very privileged position to been given time and resources to do that. My plans for the future definitely include more research on migration, where I now hope to turn my focus on themes such as countering anti-immigrant hate and working on building diverse and sustainable communities of solidarity between migrants and locals, interrogating the whole concept of locality, and tracing the role of digital media in these processes as well. I also hope to move towards more collaborative and participatory ways of doing research – easier said than done, but very important to try!
Can you give us any suggestions about migration -related art that our readers can check out?
Well, if you are in London then definitely visit the Migration Museum.
If you like graphic novels I recommend this publication by Tabboush titled ‘Ongoing Story’. It’s dark, political and available in numerous languages. Available here
My personal favourite song (unfortunately only for Greek speakers) is this hip-hop song titled Vastili (Bastille) and talks about detention centres as well as other types of prisons in general from an abolitionist perspective. In addition M.I.A’s – Borders.
Anything else you want to tell our readers?
There is a dangerous tendency towards the far right and fascism at the moment across Europe. Do your best to resist that, stand in solidarity with migrants especially those detained, being pushed back or struggling to make a new start in a country, but also do not forget other oppressed groups too, try to deconstruct the propaganda, do not accept to normalise the hate, discrimination and fear. Art can be a way of coming together with people and can also be a solace when things get rough. There are many excellent artists to engage with spreading messages about antifascism, inclusion, diversity etc. who need your support and you might need their work!
I just want to once again publicly thank all of my participants; without them the project would not have existed and also ESRC for funding my postdoc.
Thank you!
Secret Eclectic 