Research Fellow, University of Birmingham
Anna Papoutsi is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of border studies, migration, urban studies and social policy. Her expertise lies in conducting qualitative critical research on borders, migration and human mobility, through an urban lens and a focus on the micro-level, the local, the neighbourhood, the community. Her PhD work focused on the impact of the 2015 border crisis on the city of Athens, its institutions, public space and social movements. It explored the new spatialities carved out by migrants, focusing on how their schooling, squatting and spontaneous everyday activities sought to grapple with the novel normative requirements of EU’s encampment strategies and border policies.
Additionally, she has conducted extensive research in landing sites and camps on Lesbos and in Athens, investigating the new governance strategies and tools developed by the European Commission, their everyday implementation and impact on the spaces and lives of migrants and local communities.