ABSTRACT
In the heat and noise of that moment, all the issues to be examined in this chapter coincided in dramatic fashion. Based on fieldwork in Mytilini, the capital of Lesvos and a gateway to Europe for refugees, the chapter examines the politics of waste, death and survival through the prism of the solidarity networks forged in response to the plight of refugees. The chapter examines Lesvos as a border zone and considers the cultural biography of life jackets. In particular, it offers ethnographic insights into the Safe Passage Workshop that highlight the contradictions inherent in regimes of refugee reception and care. The chapter also explores the emergence of new socialities for survival in solidarity networks. It draws attention to refugee lives laid waste not only by the war, violent conflicts and the dangerous sea crossings but also by the policy failure of European neoliberal security states to provide adequate protection for refugees.
