Victoria Square, Athens: migratory movements and social stratifications in the centre of the Greek capital

Greece, a key European migration crossroads, has witnessed significant societal shifts due to successive waves of incoming and outgoing migrations. By using the concept of ‘migratory stratification’, this paper analyses the reality of a specific urban space, located in Athens, namely Victoria Square. Over the years this square and the surrounding neighbourhood have seen numerous transformations, transits, and settlements and over the years it has become a hub for migrants, their shops, their informal networks, and their interactions. Starting from ethnographic research, in this paper I analyse this particular context, by highlighting the interactions and interweaving triggered in such plural, layered and heterogeneous situations. As it emerges from the analysis, such spaces can be viewed as generative, as a fertile foundation for creating alternative senses of belonging, fostering practices of solidarity, and strengthening diverse networks and relations.