How do the volunteers on Europe's borders shape the voice of solidarity in Czech society? (Keynote speech)
Abstrakt
Europe faced significant societal challenges in the past year, with more than 1 million refugees coming (and thousands of them drowning while trying to reach Europe). In all the conflicting voices and forces, volunteers helping on the Balkan route, where the governements were to slow in providing basic human necessitites to people passing through, were one of the most significant and loud.
Who are the volunteers, why are they needed and what is their motivation? And most importantly, what role do they play in the public perception of refugees in their home society? And why wasn't the voice of anthropologists and other social scientists, who are probably best equipped to deal with the tensions and anxieties caused by the above mentioned challenges heard more? I will focus on the specific voice of solidarity the volunteers created - activist and clear, yet somehow neutral because it was based on their direct experience with the refugees and the situation on the Balkan route.