Technological Frontiers and Migrant Agency: The Dynamic Interplay of EU Border Policies, Migrant Resistance, and Solidarity Networks on the Balkan Route

Wilfrid Laurier University, Balsillie School of International Affairs | January 2024 – Present

 This ethnographic study investigates how migrants traverse and resist the EU’s externalized border regimes along the Balkan route, focusing on the interplay of surveillance technologies, humanitarian infrastructures, and grassroots solidarity. Conducted through fieldwork in North Macedonia—including interviews with migrants, NGO workers, and members of international organizations such as the Red Cross and UNHCR—the project situates the border as a site of negotiation and contestation. Findings highlight the dual nature of border spaces: simultaneously governed by restrictive policies and reshaped by migrant agency and collective action. The study contributes to critical border studies by documenting the role of solidarity networks in challenging dominant security paradigms.