Beyond the far-right: an ethnographic approach to cultural and institutional grievances in migration-centred mobilisations in Cyprus and Greece
Abstract
Attempting to bridge the disciplinary lacuna between comparative politics and social anthropology, this paper looks at grassroots mobilisations against migrant reception and identification centres (RICs) in two receptionscapes: Nicosia (Cyprus) and Evros (Greece). Almost a decade after the onset of the refugee reception crisis, this study’s bottom-up, ethnographic approach uncovers the shifting micro-dynamics and micro-politics that drive citizens into active protest. Challenging dominant scholarly depictions of mobilisations as dual and polarised, this paper goes beyond far-right politics and argues that anti-RIC protests are driven by the coupling of cultural and institutional grievances that bring together ad-hoc activists across the political spectrum.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Cyprus History
Politics
Society
Contemporary and Historical Greek Studies
Diaspora
migration
transnational identity
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 17
- Pages
- 1–26
- Publication date
- 31 January 2026
- Language
- EN