Affiliation:
1. Center for Psychological Research and Social Intervention, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, Avenida das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Abstract
This article examines the strategies of resistance enacted by an informal network of solidarity comprised of Afghan youths on the move in Europe and their Swedish allies. In 2015, thousands of Afghan children fleeing from the Taliban regime arrived in Europe as unaccompanied minors. Many have been hosted in Sweden and lived there for several years, until coming of age. Reaching 18 years prompted a series of consecutive losses, as the Swedish state limited their opportunities to remain in the country or even illegalized them. Subjected to threats of detention, deportation, and ill treatment, many Afghan youths re-escaped into other European countries, crafting networks of informal solidarity to help them resist border violence. This article is based on an ethnographic study that delves into the lived experiences of four Afghan youths who lived in Lisbon between February 2019 and February 2020, particularly focusing on the journey of Ahmed, a young man of Hazara ethnicity. The empirical data shed light on the solidarity enactments that enhanced the youths’ resistance in hostile environments, inviting reflection on the impacts of the European border regime and the importance of agency, care, and political contestation.
Reference56 articles.
1. Abdelhady, Dalia, Gren, Nina, and Joormann, Martin (2020). Refugees and the Violence of Welfare Bureaucracies in Northern Europe, Manchester University Press.
2. De la frontera a la condición cosmopolita: La antropología más allá del multiculturalismo;Agier;Frontera Norte,2014
3. Agustí, Óscar Garcá, and Jørgensen, Martin Bak (2016). Solidarity without Borders: Gramscian Perspectives on Migration & Civil Society Alliances, Pluto Press.
4. Motivations and Effects of Volunteering for Refugees. Spaces of Encounter and Political Influence of the ‘New Civic Engagement’ in Milan;Artero;Partecipazione e Conflitto,2019
5. Introduction: The contentious politics of refugee and migrant protest and solidarity movements: Remaking citizenship from the margins;Rygiel;Citizenship Studies,2016