Abstract
In the summer of 2015, a wave of solidarity washed across the European continent as 1.3 million refugees arrived. While many recent studies have explored how ‘ordinary’ men and women, NGOs and governments momentarily reacted to the arrival of refugees, this issue examines whether the arrival of refugees and the subsequent rise of civil support initiatives has also resulted in more structural cultural and political changes. The contributions assembled in this issue all delve into the enduring implications of Europe’s ‘long summer of migration’. They address four sites of change: the dynamics between civil and state actors involved in refugee protection; the gradual politicisation of individual volunteers and organisations; the reproduction of pre-existing cultural imaginaries; and the potential of cities to foster new forms of solidarity.
Highlights
When Europe experienced the ‘long summer of migration’ in 2015 (Hess et al, 2016), its governments seemed neither ready nor prepared
Numerous studies have appeared on the rise of civil solidarity in the wake of Europe’s ‘long summer of migration’
Rephrasing Sydney Tarrow’s (2005) metaphor, this thematic issue explores whether the recent upsurge of solidarity has merely been a wave, forcefully hitting the beach before vanishing back into the sea, or if it has changed the structure of the shoreline
Summary
When Europe experienced the ‘long summer of migration’ in 2015 (Hess et al, 2016), its governments seemed neither ready nor prepared. In the absence of adequate protection organised by the state, citizens and NGOs stepped in and provided stop-gap help to the newly arriving refugees. Numerous studies have appeared on the rise of civil solidarity in the wake of Europe’s ‘long summer of migration’ (e.g., della Porta, 2018; Feischmidt, Pries & Cantat, 2019; Sutter & Youkhana, 2017). Few have detailed its enduring effects on civil solidarity, cultural imaginaries and political structures. Rephrasing Sydney Tarrow’s (2005) metaphor, this thematic issue explores whether the recent upsurge of solidarity has merely been a wave, forcefully hitting the beach before vanishing back into the sea, or if it has changed the structure of the shoreline
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