Alulról jövő szolidaritási mozgalom egy bezárkózó társadalomban: menekültsegítő önkéntes szervezetek működése a 2015. évi menekültválság idején

Abstract

The dissertation explores the potential of a grassroots volunteer movement based on social solidarity in Hungary through a specific case, the 2015 refugee aid volunteer movement. My main research questions are: how can a solidarity-based and volunteer-based refugee movement without precedent develop and grow in a very short period of time, mobilising masses in a closed society and in a political-social headwind; what motivations and mechanisms drove the individual and organisational actors and whether there is a lasting impact after the refugee crisis; all analysed in the context of the broader civil society. Departing from a traditional social science frame, the paper explores voluntary organisations within the conceptual framework of solidarity, civil society and social movements, complemented by an attempt to go further by applying the relatively new and still emerging notion of solidarity economy. The research was conducted using a mixed methodology: the social context of the main research questions was mainly based on survey data from a national representative sample and their secondary analysis, while individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with members and leaders of the refugee volunteer movement, complemented by online and offline participant observation and desk research.