Europe in the woods. Reflections on the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border.

Abstract

For a few months in summer and autumn 2021 the eastern EU border has become a focus of media attention because of the political events accompanying thepresence of refugees from Middle East and Northern Africa there. In this Ethnographic snapshot I show the idiosyncrasy of this migration route and reflect on the situation of people who try to help the refugees, despite the criminalisation of help by the Polish state. The reaction of the European Union (or rather a lack thereof) is also thematised, as well as a range of anthropological questions which could be investigated along this old/new route.