ABSTRACT
The paper focuses on the ways in which both state sovereignty and governance in Greece have been challenged by solidarity initiatives in unprecedented intensity. Since the beginning of the ‘refugee crisis’, particularly since the spring of 2015, multiple new actors have been playing a substantial role throughout the country wherever emergency conditions occurred. The paper examines to what extent state sovereignty and civil society have been repositioned through the involvement of these actors in the management of the ‘refugee crisis’. In other words: To what extent has solidarity towards refugees shifted both the scope of state sovereignty and the limits of citizenship? The analysis is based on empirical material gathered from semi-structured interviews with volunteers and activists who have been working with refugees in different settings in Lesbos and in Athens, as well as with representatives of relevant authorities.
