{"id":591,"date":"2026-03-24T16:25:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T14:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/wordpress\/?page_id=591"},"modified":"2026-09-01T10:13:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T07:13:37","slug":"news","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/news\/","title":{"rendered":"News"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Latest news from IMRU<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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New blog article | Behind Walls: How Accommodation Facilities Disappear from Public View<\/p>\n\n\n\n

01.09.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis traces the evolution of Greece’s temporary accommodation facilities for migrants, from the relative openness and rich public data of their early years to today’s walls, security measures and near-total silence, showing how spatial exclusion is now matched by an exclusion from information.
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read the blog article<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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New edited volume: Media and Migration in Southeastern Europe: Shaping Narratives and Policies<\/p>\n\n\n\n

31.08.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IMRU coordinator Angelo Tramountanis has co-edited, with George Pleios, Ioanna Kostarella and Naya Kalfeli, Media and Migration in Southeastern Europe: Shaping Narratives and Policies<\/em> (Routledge, 2026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing together scholars and journalists across Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Bulgaria, the volume traces recurring patterns in migration coverage since the post-2015 “crisis”, from securitized, crisis-driven reporting to the marginalization of migrants’ own voices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angelo’s chapter examines the EU’s migration information campaigns as a form of “soft externalization,” arguing they function less to change migrant behavior than to legitimize border control to European publics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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explore the book<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi at The Greek Current podcast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

08.08.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi joined The Greek Current podcast, hosted by the Kathimerini daily, to discuss the events in Ceuta, Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her analysis covered the role of rumours in triggering migration movements, and the instrumentalization of large-scale crossings on two levels: by Morocco, as leverage against Spain, and by European states, which used the incident to push for harder-line migration policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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listen to the podcast<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis at L’Express Newspaper<\/p>\n\n\n\n

08.08.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis spoke to French newspaper L’Express, in an article by Charles Carrasco, on the evolution of Greece’s reception and detention infrastructure \u2014 highlighting how newer facilities (Closed Controlled Access Centers – CCACs) increasingly rely on AI-driven monitoring and video surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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read the article (in French)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Blog post | Beyond the Border: How AI-enabled Surveillance Tools Turned Social Media into a Migration Control Apparatus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

27.07.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eleftherios Chelioudakis traces how an AI-enabled social media surveillance tool, cancelled by Frontex in 2019 following data protection scrutiny, quietly resurfaced 28 months later through a Hellenic Coast Guard procurement, raising serious concerns about mass surveillance, regulatory oversight, and the growing reach of border control into everyday digital life.
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Read the blog article<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi at NOS (Dutch Broadcasting Foundation)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

25.07.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi spoke to the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation (NOS) on the near-total freeze in asylum registration in Greece since the entry into force of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum on 12 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read the article (in Dutch)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Blog post: The EU\u2019s new Return Regulation: rhetoric, reality and the limits of externalisation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

29.06.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi argues that as the EU turns to externalisation and return hubs, the evidence suggests these measures will not deliver the returns they promise, while Greece\u2019s own data tells a story far removed from the political rhetoric.
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IMRU Advisory Board Members in the edited volume Securitised Humanitarianism <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.06.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi and Haris Malamidis co-authored the chapter “European Values and Migration Policy: Between Solidarity and Security”, in which they map the shifting values framework of the EU as shaped by the governance of migration flows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eva Papatzani and Panos Hatziprokopiou co-authored the chapter “Disrupting the Geography of Protracted Displacement: Mobility and Immobility in the Spatial Hierarchies of Reception”, in which they examine the socio-spatial dimensions of migration and asylum policies.
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More on the volume (in Greek)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis presents at DATAMIG Workshop in Istanbul<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22.05.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On 22 May 2026, IMRU Coordinator Angelo Tramountanis presented the paper “Greece as Europe’s Border Technology Laboratory: Multi-Level Externalisation Through AI Surveillance” at the Datamig Workshop “Technologies of Externalisation in EU Migration Governance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop was held at I\u015f\u0131k University in Istanbul, Turkey, and was organised within the framework of the COST Action “Data Matters: Sociotechnical Challenges of European Migration and Border Control (DATAMIG).”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DATAMIG COST Action website<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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New Greek edition: The wretched of the sea. Women and border in the Mediterranean<\/em>, by Camille Schmoll<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15.05.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IMRU Advisory Board member Iris Polyzou (National Technical University of Athens) has co-edited, with Dina Vaiou, the introduction and scientific review in Greek of Camille Schmoll’s book, The wretched of the sea. Women and border in the Mediterranean. Topos editions, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The author explores the recent history of migration in the Mediterranean through the lens of the women who experienced it, examining their trajectories, the painful separations they endured, the encounters and relationships they formed along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore the book (in Greek)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Blog post: To understand migration attitudes in Greece, look to the past<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12.05.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dimitris Skleparis argues that while attitudes toward migration are often explained by present-day fears, new evidence from Greece suggests that how past suffering is remembered, and interpreted, matters even more.
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New edited volume: Across the Aegean: A Century of Forced Migrations Between Greece and Turkey, 1922\u20132022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.05.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IMRU Advisory Board member Dimitris Skleparis (Newcastle University) has co-edited, with Violetta Hionidou, Across the Aegean: A Century of Forced Migrations Between Greece and Turkey, 1922\u20132022 (Routledge, 2026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The edited volume takes the 1923 Greek\u2013Turkish population exchange as its point of departure to investigate major refugee movements across the Aegean over the past century and the interconnections between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore the book<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Blog post: Why IMRU? Addressing the Migration Knowledge Problem in a Polarised Environment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

27.04.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis outlines the rationale behind IMRU\u2019s establishment, tracing the gap between decades of rigorous migration research and a public debate increasingly dominated by security narratives and disconnected from solid evidence.
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Read the blog article<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis interviewed on 102FM ERT3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

26.03.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis was interviewed on 102FM ERT3 radio by Christos Tsalikidis, on the possibility of future migration and refugee flows in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Listen to the interview<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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UnSettle: New postdoc research by Eva Papatzani, funded by ELIDEK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

23.03.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eva Papatzani has started a new postdoctoral research project titled  “UnSettle: Intersecting processes and experiences of urban displacements in Greece\u201d, funded by ELIDEK – Hellenic Foundation for Research & Innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project will be implemented at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE) over the next two years, and aims at an in-depth study of the multiple and simultaneously manifesting processes and experiences of displacement in the city of Athens, Greece.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis at Kathimerini Newspaper<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22.03.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis was quoted in Sunday’s Kathimerini newspaper, in an article by Alexia Kalaitzi, on the likelihood of new refugee flows towards Europe in the context of the Iran war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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read the article (in Greek)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Eva Papatzani and George Kandylis at the Piraeus Open School for Migrants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

22.02.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eva Papatzani and George Kandylis organised a public discussion at the Open School for Migrants of Piraeus, presenting the findings of the Horizon Europe GAPs research programme. The discussion drew strong participation from the School’s volunteer teachers and students, and centred on the coercive logic underpinning EU return and deportation policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gaps Homepage<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaps @IMRU<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More on the Discussion<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis at EfSyn Newspaper<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

13.02.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis published an article in EfSyn (\u0395\u03c6\u03b7\u03bc\u03b5\u03c1\u03af\u03b4\u03b1 \u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03ba\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd) newspaper, on the 2026 Chios migrant boat shipwreck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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read the article (in Greek)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis and Angeliki Dimitriadi at EfSyn Newspaper<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

09.02.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis and Angeliki Dimitriadi each contributed a short piece to a compilation in EfSyn (\u0395\u03c6\u03b7\u03bc\u03b5\u03c1\u03af\u03b4\u03b1 \u03c4\u03c9\u03bd \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03ba\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd), edited by Dimitris Angelidis, on the 2026 Chios migrant boat shipwreck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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read the article (in Greek)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis and Eva Papatzani at the Closing Conference of GAPs Research Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

22-23.01.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On 22\u201323 January 2026, George Kandylis and Eva Papatzani presented at the closing conference of the Horizon Europe GAPs research programme, titled \u201cNavigating Return Migration: What Next? Diplomacy, Infrastructures, and Pathways Beyond\u201d, held at Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gaps Homepage<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaps @IMRU<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conference Programme<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Washington University in St. Louis (USA) Study Visit to IMRU \/ EKKE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

16.01.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IMRU welcomed a group of undergraduate students from Washington University in St. Louis (USA), as part of their European Study Tour (EST) academic programme. The visit focused on migration and refugee issues in Greece, current developments in the EU and the US, and the relationship between migration, the rural economy, and the labour market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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New EKKE Podcast on the GAPs Research Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

30.12.2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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George Kandylis and Eva Papatzani discuss key aspects of migrant return policy in Greece and beyond in a new episode of the EKKE podcast.
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Gaps Homepage<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaps @IMRU<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to Spotify (in Greek)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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New book chapter by Angeliki Dimitriadi, on Greek migration policy towards Turkey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

01.12.2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Angeliki Dimitriadi published a book chapter on \u201cGreek migration policy towards Turkey and the role of the European Union: Between ‘conflict’ and cooperation\u201d, in a collective volume “The Europeanization of Greek Foreign Policy\u201d, co-edited by Antonis Klapsis and Nikolaos Tzifakis. The book was published by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Greece and Cyprus, and is freely available online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Download the book (in Greek)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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GAPs Session at the European Sociological Association (ESA) RN35 Conference on the Sociology of Migration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

27-28.11.2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On 27\u201328 November 2025, the European Sociological Association’s Research Network RN35 held its mid-term conference on the Sociology of Migration in Athens, in collaboration with the University of Athens, on the theme “Sociology of Migration after the 2015 ‘Migrant Crisis'”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Kandylis and Eva Papatzani co-organised and chaired a dedicated GAPs session titled “Return Migration Infrastructures: Actors, Activities and Technologies between Voluntariness and Enforcement”, bringing together researchers from across the GAPs network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gaps Homepage<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaps @IMRU<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conference Programme<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Angelo Tramountanis at the European Sociological Association (ESA) RN35 Conference on the Sociology of Migration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

27-28.11.2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On 27\u201328 November 2025, the European Sociological Association’s Research Network RN35 held its mid-term conference on the Sociology of Migration in Athens, in collaboration with the University of Athens, on the theme “Sociology of Migration after the 2015 ‘Migrant Crisis'”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angelo Tramountanis presented on \u201cThe Digital Transformation of EU Border Controls: Leveraging Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Surveillance and Control\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conference Programme<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Closing GAPs National Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

21.11.2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The closing national conference of the Horizon Europe GAPs research programme (De-centring the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond), titled “Both Prison and Return: Greece in the Landscape of European Policies on Migrant Returns”, was held on 21 November 2025 at Eteron in Athens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference opened with a keynote by Professor Anna Triandafyllidou<\/em><\/a>, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Metropolitan University of Toronto. George Kandylis and Eva Papatzani presented research findings from the GAPs project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gaps Homepage<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaps @IMRU<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conference Information<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Latest news from IMRU New blog article | Behind Walls: How Accommodation Facilities Disappear from Public View 01.09.2026 George Kandylis traces the evolution of Greece’s temporary accommodation facilities for migrants, from the relative openness and rich public data of their early years to today’s walls, security measures and near-total silence, showing how spatial exclusion is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-591","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PhcU9x-9x","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":120,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2096,"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/591\/revisions\/2096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imru.ekke.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}