Transcapes: transient populations transforming the European political space

'Transcapes is a collective research project using what Europe's mainstream political and media discourse has framed as a refugee crisis, in order to understand wider transformations in the geopolitical body of Europe itself. Situating ourselves in the island of Lesbos, we examine the key actors on the island - humanitarian, social, political - and the contestation over fields and spaces of action opening in the midst of this emergency and the greatest population move in the continent in decades. Broadening our scope, we also look at Greece as a vector of its own contradictions and as the object of political decisions which will inevitably compromise its already weak position within the EU. In the third and largest of our cognitive concentric circles (Lesbos, Greece, the EU), we are trying to understand the crisis of Europe's own decision-making and executing mechanisms as a whole: to read through the inconsistencies and gaps in these and to follow and map out what emerges out of these transformations.'

Impact Summary
The project will produce a Migration Crisis Map, while it will also focus on finding ways for its beneficiaries to participate in the knowledge production process. Our research team has already been in contact and worked closely with the main stakeholders so as to include their input in the conceptualisation and development of our original research proposal: we have done this by building on our existing networks on the ground, since the PI and the two ECO consultants are originally from Greece and have conducted most of their work in the country. The consultation process with the key beneficiaries will continue following the start of, and throughout our project in order to ensure that beneficiaries' needs and expectations are being met.

At the project's final phase (phase D, see Timetable and Workplan), the research team will conduct a series of dissemination events, including a day-long workshop in Athens (February 2017) and an end-of-project summit (April 2017), both in order to present the use of the Migration Crisis Map in the project, and its potential future uses by other researchers. The workshop will feature preliminary discussion with the Advisory Board, while the summit will bring together all partners and key beneficiaries in order to strengthen the ties and ensure their future collaboration as well as the use and further development of the map.