From migration as a social movement to biopolitical control: an analysis of migration and border management in the eu’s south-eastern border from 2015 until 2024

This thesis - structured around a series of peer-reviewed articles - titled: "From Migration as a Social Movement to Biopolitical Control: An Analysis of Migration and Border Management in the EU’s South-Eastern Border from 2015 until 2024", offers a comprehensive, longitudinal anthropological investigation into the transformation of migration governance and border management in Greece and the European Union’s south-eastern frontier over nearly a decade. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and informal conversations with a wide spectrum of actors—including asylum-seekers, migrants (both irregular and documented), refugees, activists, volunteers, state officials, educators, and humanitarian workers—conducted across four countries and numerous locations, the study provides a nuanced, empirically grounded account of the evolving landscape of migration and border control since the height of the so-called “refugee crisis” in 2015.

The research is anchored in sustained ethnographic engagement, which enabled to witness first-hand the dramatic shifts in migration routes, border policies, and the lived experiences of migrants. Early fieldwork in sites such as Skala Sykamnias (Lesvos) and the Idomeni camp at the Greek-North Macedonian border captured the initial surge of arrivals and the relative fluidity of movement across borders. Over time, however, the research documents the tightening of border regimes, the proliferation of pushbacks, and the increasing structural violence embedded in the Greek asylum system, resulting in heightened precarity and exclusion for those seeking protection.

Central to the thesis is the development of the analytical concept of the “border-filter.” Moving beyond the prevailing metaphor of “Fortress Europe,” which frames borders as rigid and impermeable barriers, the “border-filter” conceptualizes borders as dynamic, selective, and porous systems. These systems simultaneously enable and restrict mobility according to shifting legal, political, and biopolitical criteria—including nationality, perceived vulnerability, and cultural fit. This approach foregrounds the agency of migrants, who continuously adapt to and contest these filtering mechanisms, often at great personal risk.

Methodologically, the thesis combines long-term participant observation, in-depth interviews, and policy analysis, integrating insights from mobility studies, border studies, and critical security studies. The research is reflexive, acknowledging the author’s dual role as both an academic and a humanitarian worker, and is attentive to the ethical and political stakes of representing migrant experiences.

Ultimately, the thesis advances the argument that borders are not static lines but active processes—sites of negotiation, contestation, and selective permeability. The “border-filter” framework illuminates how European border regimes are increasingly characterized by differentiated inclusion, where access to mobility and rights is constantly recalibrated in response to shifting political imperatives and migrant strategies. The thesis concludes by calling for a rethinking of migration management and policy-making, urging a move toward frameworks that recognize the autonomy and agency of migrants and promote equal mobility rights for all humans.