Beschreibung
The flow of emigrants from Albania to Greece, being one-sided, indicates a
relation of inequality between the two countries. Indeed, the violence
with which the collapse of the regime is effected and the subsequent
opening of the border and the, as a rule, undocumented way of entering
Greece, makes this relation even more asymmetrical and places the moving
ones in a much more powerless position, as they live and work illegally:
their “outlaw” status deprives them of all rights. Legalisation improves
their position but does not cancel the structural inequality that
characterises the phenomenon of immigration any way, as well as the
quality of the immigrant. In any case, the effort of the immigrants to
present aspects of identity that would facilitate their position and
residence (proofs of Greek roots or Christian faith, changes of names,
etc.) demonstrates, precisely, how they experience this unequal
relationship, which is further aggravated by factors pertaining to their
otherness.
Vassilis Nitsiakos holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University
of Cambridge (England) and is Professor at the University of
Ioannina(Greece).
