Refugee crisis – To Archeio https://toarcheio.org To Archeio project site Thu, 30 Apr 2020 16:10:47 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.1 The ‘Refugee Crisis’ from Athens to Lesvos and Back: A Dialogical Account. https://toarcheio.org/items/the-refugee-crisis-from-athensto-lesvos-and-back-a-dialogical-account/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:53 +0000 http://arc.local/items/the-refugee-crisis-from-athensto-lesvos-and-back-a-dialogical-account/ Continued]]> Our grandparents, refugees Our parents, immigrants We, racists? 1 The slogan that prefaces the paper provides the theoretical caveat for the tensions, limitations, and contradictions of academic discourses in conjuring the daily realities of the era of the ‘refugee crisis’ in Greece. This paper has the form of a dialogue between a sociologist and photographer (Myrto) and a political theorist and activist (Anna) who investigate different forms of the ways the ‘refugee crisis’ is changing the socio-political landscapes in Greece. The multiple aspects of our identities provide valuable tools with which we unpack the multiple and contradictory narratives of researching, learning, and disseminating in the current milieu. In particular, we are interested in the ways we shape knowledge and the tension between the episte-mological and the ontological ways of knowing. In other words, by moving from theory to praxis and back, we are attempting to reconcile the problem of knowing and the problem of being part of a specific crisis milieu. For example, how can we use crisis as a research methodology? What can we learn from the ongoing ‘refugee crisis’ in relation to issues of citizenship, belonging, and the future of the European project? Furthermore, the paper attempts to transcend discursive borders between social sciences and the humanities by analysing the deeply performative, situated and embodied practices of doing research in moments of crisis. For example, how to navigate multiple, and at times contradictory, aspects of one’s identity without returning to outmoded discourses of positivism and objectivity?

]]> Who is going to rescue the rescuers? Post-traumatic stress disorder among rescue workers operating in Greece during the European refugee crisis https://toarcheio.org/items/who-is-going-to-rescue-the-rescuers-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-among-rescue-workers-operating-in-greece-during-the-european-refugee-crisis/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:52 +0000 http://arc.local/items/who-is-going-to-rescue-the-rescuers-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-among-rescue-workers-operating-in-greece-during-the-european-refugee-crisis/ Continued]]> PURPOSE:
During the European refugee crisis, numerous Greek and international rescue workers are operating in Lesvos, offering search, rescue, and first aid services. Exposure to stressful life events while engaging in this rescue work can result in developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The study aimed to assess the prevalence of PTSD and explore potential differences between different categories of rescuers.

METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 217 rescue workers. Participants were grouped according to affiliation: “Greek Professionals Rescuers/GPR”, “International Professionals Rescuers/IPR” and “Volunteer Rescuers/VR”. The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) was utilized. All tests were two-tailed (a = 0.05). Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and multivariate logistic regression were performed.

RESULTS:
Overall probable PTSD prevalence found was 17.1%. Rates varied significantly per rescuer’s category; 23.1% in GPR, 11.8% in IPR, and 14.6% in VR (p = 0.02). GPR demonstrated the highest risk compared to IPR and VR (p < 0.001). Females had approximately two times higher risk. Other significant risk factors included marital status, age, and number of children. Lack of previous experience, longer operation period, longer shift hours, and handling dead refugees and dead children were also considered major risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS:
Rescue workers providing substantial aid to the refugees and migrants at Lesvos experience significant psychological distress. The present findings indicate the urgent need for targeted interventions. Further studies are needed to address long-term effects of the refugee crisis on rescuers, and explore effective measures to prevent PTSD.

]]> The role of arts in raising ethical awareness and knowledge of the European refugee crisis among social work students. An example from the classroom https://toarcheio.org/items/the-role-of-arts-in-raising-ethical-awareness-and-knowledge-of-the-european-refugee-crisis-among-social-work-students-an-example-from-the-classroom/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:51 +0000 http://arc.local/items/the-role-of-arts-in-raising-ethical-awareness-and-knowledge-of-the-european-refugee-crisis-among-social-work-students-an-example-from-the-classroom/ Continued]]> This paper presents and discusses an arts-based project, carried out by the first-year students in the classroom, at the Department of Social Work, in Athens, Greece. The project was designed for raising ethical awareness and knowledge of the 2015 Europe’s refugee crisis among social work students. The purpose of this project was three-fold: (1) to help students to better understand the refugee crisis as an emerging problem in Europe and in the rest of the world; (2) to help students raise their ethical awareness about the plight of refugees and to learn how to avoid discrimination and racism; and (3) to improve students’ abilities to work effectively with refugee populations. The project used art-based activities (drawing, writing, photos, etc.) as a powerful pedagogical tool for teaching students and supporting their learning in the classroom. As the literature has shown, the use of arts in social work education helps student to learn through an artistic and creative way and provides a secure base, from which they can explore real-life situations and try to give meaning to them.

]]> Tourism and the refugee crisis in Greece: Perceptions and decision-making of accommodation providers https://toarcheio.org/items/tourism-and-the-refugee-crisis-in-greece-perceptions-and-decision-making-of-accommodation-providers/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:51 +0000 http://arc.local/items/tourism-and-the-refugee-crisis-in-greece-perceptions-and-decision-making-of-accommodation-providers/ Continued]]> This paper focuses on the tourism impacts of the 2015–16 refugee crisis in Greece. It examines the implications of the related publicity for the perception of Greece and the expected reaction of inbound tourists; the way refugees are regarded from a security and cultural aspect; the interaction between refugees and host communities; and the decisions made by the Greek tourism accommodation sector to face the crisis. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis the paper employs a nationwide survey of 811 tourism accommodation managers. The results reveal three configurations explaining the decisions of respondents characterised by refugee-centric orientation; the emphasis on the visitors-locals nexus; and the host communities’ behavioural impact on tourism. The paper also compares asymmetric with symmetric analysis highlighting the suitability of the former when dealing with complexity. The modelling exercise also steps forward from fit to predictive validity. The findings contribute to both managerial and methodological aspects of tourism.

]]> Thessaloniki: The changing geography of the city and the role of spatial planning https://toarcheio.org/items/thessaloniki-the-changing-geography-of-the-city-and-the-role-of-spatial-planning/ Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:25:48 +0000 http://arc.local/items/thessaloniki-the-changing-geography-of-the-city-and-the-role-of-spatial-planning/ Continued]]> Thessaloniki has existed for over twenty-three centuries. Today it is the second largest city in Greece after Athens. This City Profile aims to identify and present the milestones in the city’s development trajectory and give an overview of the evolution and the planning of the city. After a summary of the historical development of Thessaloniki, emphasis is given to the period after 1990s. Lately, the fiscal and refugee crises hitting the country have changed the urban geography of the city, challenging its sustainability and questioning its future development. At the same time the planning and management system of the city face the overfragmentation and semi-implementation of the plans, the chronic lack of a clear vision for the city’s development and the downgrading of the role of strategic spatial planning within the current context of recession. The adoption of a really radical resilience policy along with the reconsideration and redefinition of planning principles and content seems to be the only option for Thessaloniki to track its development trajectory.

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