Crossing the Eastern Mediterranean sea in search of “protection”

This article examines two particular aspects of the 2015 ‘migration crisis’: the implications of EU laws and policies for refugee protection and the manner in which policy fluctuated in response to the movement of people. It explores the legal and conceptual challenges posed by protection and addresses an often neglected dimension– that of ‘agency’ of the individual. This contribution examines the response of policy/law-makers to the ‘migration crisis’, and contrasts this with the expectations of those migrating in search of safety and a life of dignity. The piece draws on rich interview data with new arrivals to Kos in September 2015