Paper short abstract:

This paper argue that is precisely the modernization of the self which is a key factor in the decision-making process as to whether one should engage voluntarily in refugee protection during 'the refugee crisis' in Serbia.

Paper long abstract:

In the existing literature, the phenomenon of volunteers in refugee protection is often approached from the perspective of an emerging new horizontal solidarity movement with a stabilizing structure, collectively determined goals and mechanisms of political influence. This line of consideration invites us to ask what the differences between old and new forms of activism are. Although researchers of pro-migrant initiatives have noticed the shift from centralized, hierarchically structured old type of organization to a new decentralized organization which is built on significant heterogeneity in terms of ideas and values, they seem to underestimate the self-orientation of these movements. I argue that it is precisely the modernization of the self which is a key factor in the decision-making process as to whether one should engage voluntarily during 'the refugee crisis'. This impacts the personal motivations of volunteers, the way they organize themselves as well as the durability of their actions.

In the light of these considerations, the key questions in my text are: (1) What motivates volunteers from the global North to travel to Serbia? (2) What are the personal, political and/ or moral interests behind their decisions? (3) How do they understand their role there, and how does this understanding evolve in the field?

This paper is based on interviews conducted with migrants and volunteers/activists, combined and participant action research in transit camps at two border crossings: Presevo and Horgosh/Kelebija in Serbia in 2016.