Join us for a presentation by author Hannah Pool (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies) on the social and financial relationships that shape undocumented journeys from Afghanistan to Europe.
About the book: What social relationships and economic interactions facilitate the crossing of borders for people to seek asylum? The Game – The Economy of Undocumented Migration from Afghanistan to Europe (Oxford University Press, 2025) follows the migration trajectory from Afghanistan to Germany, examining each stage of the journey through Iran, Turkey, Greece, and along the so-called Balkan route. Through this trek, the book accompanies a group of Afghan families and friends as they are being smuggled together along the route to seek asylum and safety. It thereby conceptualizes and theorizes the entire trajectory from the country of origin to the destination using a multisited ethnographic approach. By bridging economic sociology and migration studies, the book aims to provide insights into the economic interactions and social relationships essential for acquiring, saving, borrowing, spending, and exchanging money to facilitate undocumented migration. It contextualises these social relationships along the route through the lenses of debt, special monies, bribes, alms, and gift-giving. Throughout the migration journey, relationships with family, fellow migrants, smugglers, humanitarian actors, and border control officials shape and are shaped by access to financial resources. Through its ethnography, the book highlights the undocumented border-crossing and delves into the core of what it means to flee: Who has the means to escape dangerous conditions and seek asylum, and who remains trapped due to a lack of financial resources or supportive social networks?
Prior registration is required. Please register here.
