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Accepted Paper:
Dystopian reality at the borders of Europe: questioning European utopian imaginary among asylum seekers
Duško Petrović
(Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb)
Romana Pozniak
(Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Research)
Paper short abstract:
Focusing on utopian imaginary of Europe among refugee population the paper questions its construction in the public discourse and dystopian effect in the actual life of the migrant Other.
Paper long abstract:
This paper is concerned with the utopian vision of Europe mainly focusing on asylum and migration issues in the context of the EU. It questions the construction of the ideal image of Europe created within the immigration population, and the one politically proclaimed in the public discourse. It is based on a research conducted with asylum seekers in Croatia.
The first level investigates the extent to which the arrivals of asylum seekers at the borders of Europe have been motivated by the utopian imaginarium of Europe as a space dominated by human rights and a space that can provide a better life. The second level focuses on the possible changes to that vision after the arrival. Finally, the paper questions if the utopian vision of Europe as a desirable destination and its dystopian reality is a product of the ongoing and anticipated contact with the migrant Other.