Sociology Approaches of Refugee Flows and the Refugee Crisis

The course aims to examine the refugee issue from a sociological perspective. Initially, emphasis will be placed on conceptual clarifications related to the legal and historical differences between refugee flows and other forms of migration flows. The course will then focus on the recent refugee crisis, giving particular emphasis to the following three axes: 1) The causes of the development of recent refugee flows and their connection to the international organization of the economy and international geopolitical relationships. 2) The identification of the central pillars of European refugee policy and the way in which they affect refugee populations at the level of social integration or social exclusion. 3) The examination of the consequences of refugee policy on local societies, emphasizing the case of Greece and Lesvos more specifically.