UNIT 5. Multiculturalism and migration

Step 4: Contemporary migratory challenges: the so-called refugee crisis, multiculturalism and its critics

In the midst of changing notions of citizenship, post-national belonging, open borders and transnational social spaces, Europe – on track with many parts of the globe – has witnessed increased migratory flows in conjunction with crises in various parts of Africa and the Middle East, and particularly the civil war in Syria. These flows are by and large categorised as involuntary migrations, in opposition to voluntary flows which encompass economic, study or family reunification goals. The year 2015 marked the height of what has been termed the refugee crisis in Europe, wherein over 1,3 million asylum-seekers made highly perilous journeys towards the European Union, often by boat from staging posts such as Turkey or Libya, some going further by land through what was termed the ‘Balkan route’ towards Western European states.

Let’s go back to some statistics on this issue by taking both the UN data and Eurostat into account. It is important to note which countries/regions host the majority of the world’s refugees, and which EU Member States are most affected by these flows.