Contesting Borders Through Spaces and Practices. Transformative Forms of Grassroots Solidarity Along the Balkan Routes

Since the 2015 "long summer of migration" and the tightening of EU migration policies, grassroots solidarity movements along the Balkan Routes have resisted the border regime by providing support to people attempting to reach Europe. Over the years, a dynamic network of individuals and organizations has engaged in solidarity practices, mutual aid, and care to challenge borders, question humanitarian logic, and address divisions based on class, ethnicity, and gender. This paper examines the practices of autonomous groups operating in transit zones in Greece, Bulgaria, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, focusing on how they navigate power dynamics and intersectional inequalities in their solidarity efforts. It highlights the political and transformative potential of their work, even when not overtly contentious, through an analysis of the spaces they create, the practices they employ, and the meanings they attribute to their actions, emphasizing the importance of mutual aid and care in disrupting hegemonic migration policies.