Ethnographic Analysis of Phenomena of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece

Ethnographic Analysis of Phenomena of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Ethnographic Analysis of Phenomena of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece Mohammed Taukeer This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The matter of forced migration and refugees is a global phenomenon because it is considered a crisis on global level. In these consequences, a major theme of this research paper is based on a study of forced migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Greece from the perspective of the cultural intention of return to the homeland. The major objective of this research paper is based on a study of the process, determinants and consequences of forced migration and their return intention. The methodology of the research paper is based on an ethnographic field survey among South Asian refugees in Athens in August 2017. Qualitative data was collected through personal interviews, focus group discussions and informal interviews under the saturation stage of information. Collected qualitative data is analyzed by case studies, narratives and descriptions under the content analysis of ethnographic technique. The findings of the study show that there is a function of culturalization of forced migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Greece and these consequences developed a form of assimilation and integration between South Asian and Greek culture. It developed a form of South Asian hybrid cultural diaspora through the in-direct return of South Asian refugees through the formation of building capacity of South Asian culture in Athens with the existence of contradictions, discriminations, and challenges about recreation of identity. Therefore, the findings of this research paper would encourage researchers, policymakers, and academicians to conduct further research in the area of forced migration and refugees related studies on a global level. Cultural Studies Forced migration South Asian refugees Return intention culture identity challenges Figures Figure 1 Forced Migration and Its nature According to UNHCR (2020), “Refugees are persons, who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for race, religion, nationality, and membership of a particular social group or political opinion. They are outside of their country of nationality and are unable or, owing to such fear, are unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Persons recognized as refugees under this definition are sometimes called convention refugees. They are usually granted open-ended permission to stay in the country of asylum while asylum seekers are persons, who apply for asylum in a country other than their own. They remain in the status of asylum seekers until their application is considered and adjudicated for the status of refugees.” According to UNHCR ( 2024 ), there were 43.4 million refugees and 68.3 million internally displaced people. This is a total of 120 million people who are forcibly displaced. In the context of return to home, 404,000 refugees could not return home. According to the statistics of European Union (2022), there was 23.0 per cent of Asylum from Asian countries in the EU. Among them, huge numbers of Asylums were from Bangladesh (38,965) and Pakistan (30,440). In the case of submission of asylum applications, most first-time asylum applications were lodged in Germany (329,000) followed by Spain (160,500), France (145,100), Italy (130,600), and Greece (57,900). The process of forced migration is positively associated with political instability in the context of globalization of forced migration from third-world countries to first-world countries because the consequences of political instability forced people to migrate toward uncertain roots without any intention of returning to the root (Ligabue, 2018 : 166–180). The consequences of huge forced migration are creating a form of refugee crisis in the Western world because these refugees settled in European countries with questionable remarks and unidentified nation-based identities. These consequences created a lot of hurdles in the way of crisis management of refugees in developed European countries (Krzyżanowski et al, 2018 : 1–14). The matter of crisis management is being managed by re-settle Asian refugees in host countries because these Asian refugees showing their interest in not returning to their roots due to long-term future-based plans of settlement in European countries (Obokota, 2010:120–136). In the context of South Asia, there is a culture of forced migration from South Asian countries to Greece due to well developed social network system of migration where these South Asian refugees migrate with hopes of a better life in Greece without showing any intention of return to root because these South Asian refugees have not any option of return to root instead of migration from one country to another country within European Union ( Taukeer, 2022 : 33–43). Consequences of European-based forced Asian migration, lead to cultural plurality due to the explicit impact of South Asian culture in Greece because Asian refugees promoted their culture in Greece due to emotionally attachment with their roots in the environment of Greek culture in Athens (Papageorgiou, 2012 : 83–95). Both Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees chasing the dreams of their life in the glamour of Europe because these forced migrants voluntary migrate to Greece with hopes of better life in the culture of Europe (Broersma & Lazarescu, 2009 ). The return intention of refugees is positively associated with cultural intention because refugees developed a cultural map in host countries with capabilities of return to the root. Still, these refugees developed their own cultural mechanism for adjusting themselves in the culture of Western Europe with hopes and pain of forced migration ( Karimi & Byelikova, 2024 :1–20). South Asian refugees take a matter of migration as a cultural phenomenon because these South Asian refugees developed a form of the mental cultural region of South Asia in Greece with a few contradictions and discriminations of forced migration (Taukeer, 2022 :48–62). Consequences of the culture of forced migration developed a “safe zone” of migration among South Asian refugees in Greece because South Asian refugees migrated to Greece within a developed cultural region of migration where migration created a culture and culture-led migration. Apart, South Asian refugees faced problems of cultural existence due to unidentified geo-nation identity because these South Asian refugees lived without any valid travel documents. These consequences lead to political confusion among South Asian refugees in Greece (Taukeer, 2024 :71–87). Therefore, matter of forced South Asian migration is positively associated with consequence of cultural forced migration among South Asian illegal migrants; those follow the famous Donki route of migration from Bangladesh and Pakistan to Greece via the border of Iran and Turkiye. These Donki migrants voluntarily migrated through the uncertain route of migration with strategy of the “stop and go” mechanism of migration in the process of long journey of illegal migration. This kind of migration can be defined as “voluntary cultural forced migration” within specific cultural routes of migration within the Donki region of migration from Bangladesh and Pakistan to Greece via Iran and Turkiye. These consequences are being triggered by the safe zone concept of migration where Donkers migrate through cultural factors of migration because migration created culture and culture leads the migration within social region of South Asian migration in EU. These consequences also led to the problem of cultural confusion and the existence of South Asian refugees in Greek society because Greek society see the illegal South Asian refugees as suspect and confused migrants about their existence in European culture. These illegal South Asian refugees showed themselves as isolated Donki in Greek culture. Apart, the huge tendency of illegal migration created socio-economic and cultural challenges in the context of assimilation and integration between two different cultural practices where South Asian refugees indirectly return to root with the formation of building capacity of South Asian culture in Greece with cultural contradictions and discriminations in the environment of Greek culture in Athens. Methodology Based on the above concise introduction part, major argument of this research paper can be realized that European-based South Asian forced migration is the result of the phenomena of culturally forced migration from Pakistan, and Bangladesh because migrants of these nations are being forced by the political crisis with hopes of a better life in European Union where they show their identity as “ Donker ” due to illegal “Donki” migration with not showing any intention to return to root in the process of illegal cross-border migration. Therefore, the statement of the research problem of this research paper is based on the question proposed for the solution of the role of the cultural intention of forced migrants about the return to root in the perspective of culture. In these consequences, the major research question of this research paper is based on trying to answer unquestionable facts of forced migration with what, why, when, where and how aspects of research. The objective of this research paper is to find out the facts of the cultural intention of forced migrants about the direct return to their roots in South Asia with its impact and consequences of the formation of South Asian culture in the environment of Greek culture in Athens. Therefore, the methodology of this research paper is based on ethnographic field surveys among 150 South Asian refugees in August 2017 in Athens. Omonia Square was the centre of the fieldwork because there were many numbers of parks and South Asian restaurants where Pakistani and Bangladeshi forced migrants shared their narration of emotions and feelings of forced migration and its struggle. Therefore, these consequences were suitable for observing the cultural intention of South Asian refugees about South Asia from a culture perspective. Among them, 100 refugees were from Pakistan and the rest were from Bangladesh. From the perspective of demography, out of the total sample of South Asian refugees, 140 refugees were male and the rest were females. From the perspective of age composition, there were 50 refugees under the age of 25, 60 refugees under the age group of 26 to 45 years and the rest above 45 years. Therefore, there was diversity among the sample of South Asian refugees by geography and demography. The process of sampling South Asian refugees was based on snowball and convenience sampling among South Asian refugees under a qualitative study design. The procedure of collecting primary data was based on the saturation stage of information under the ethnographic technique, where qualitative data was collected through passive observation, informal interviews, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. Collected qualitative data is analyzed by case studies, narratives, and descriptions with the approach of scientific ethno technique of content analysis of collected data through the interaction of independent and dependent variables under the cause-effect model. Figure 1.1 shows that culture is the independent variable and forced migration is the dependent variable because culture led to voluntary forced migration due to the well-developed culture of forced migration from South Asia to Europe. Therefore, there is a reciprocal relationship between culture and forced migration. The consequence of the interaction between culture and forced migration led to the process of culturalization of South Asian culture in Europe in the form of the independent variable and it led to cultural migration within the EU. Therefore, the interaction between culturalization as the independent variable and cultural migration as the dependent variable played an important role in the formation of the landscape of South Asian culture in Europe. Result and Discussion Process and determinants of forced migration The nature of forced migration from South Asia to Greece is based on voluntary forced migration within well-developed culture regions of migration because political instability paved the way for the form of cultural forced migration due to the culture of migration. These consequences led to the so-called forced migration in the view of Pakistani migrants because these Pakistani refugees said that they migrated to Greece to enjoy an easy easy-going life compared to the ultra traditional Islamic lifestyle of Pakistan. These consequences created a form of suffocation among teenagers and youths, who were interested in getting the expected easygoing life in unstable Pakistan because these Pakistani youths expressed their negative opinion about socio-economic and political conditions as “adverse” for youths in Pakistan. These consequences led to the form of “culturally forced” migration because the entire function of Donki migration was based on cultural migration due to the function of push and pull factors of migration where the glamour of Europe was the trigger factor compared to the push factor as poor political conditions of Pakistan. Apart from that, a vast majority of Pakistani refugees said that they did not have any ideas about the future of Pakistan because they only thought about their individual life in the glamour of Europe. They also said that they left Pakistan with hopes of an “easy-going” life in Europe. These consequences can be analyzed in that there was a little bit of confusion among Pakistani refugees, who were not satisfied with the image of Pakistani as an “Islamic nation” with contradictions, discriminations and challenges. In the context of Bangladesh, there was the same story as Pakistan, where Bangladeshi refugees migrated to Athens for an easy-going life compared to the suffocation life in Dhaka. These consequences can be analyzed in that youths were taking the risk of illegal migration through the help of a human trafficking network from South Asia to Greece via Iran and Turkiye. These consequences were positively associated with the occurring political crisis in both Pakistan and Bangladesh where these consequences were reflected as “voluntary cultural forced migration” because Pakistani and Bangladeshi youths migrated to Greece with hopes of searching for a space in the glamour of Athens. Therefore, these Pakistani and Bangladeshi forced migrants surpassed the socio-economic and psychological barriers across the barbed wires of international borders and these forced migrants reached Athens in three to four moths long uncertain risky journeys where life and death were moving around forced migrants in their journey in deserts, rivers, seas, forest, islands, valley, and mountain. These consequences can be analyzed in that these forced migrants were migrating with hopes of life and fear of death in the way of uncertain routes of illegal Donki migration where there was not any option to return to root instead of uncertainty in Greece and beyond it. “ We are Donkers and we came to Athens with hopes of “Mast Maula Jindagi” (easy going life). We live in present because we are not interested in past and not worry about future”. These consequences can be analyzed that these Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylums were happy with their existence in glamour of Europe because only dosage of happiness gave them a treatment of satisfaction from struggle among liberal European society due to liberal asylum related policies of European Union in Greece. Return Intention of South Asian Refugees These Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were not interested in returning to their roots because it could have never occurred due to an unidentified “geo-nation” identity in Greece. These South Asian refugees lived in the “mental region” of their homeland with its reflection in the form of emotion, feeling, narration, pain, fun and muteness. These consequences provided them a geo-cultural space in asylum camps in Athens where they developed their own story of migration in a positive way. These perspectives can be realized as a cultural settlement system in Athens because all the doors of return to back were locked instead of adjusting themselves to life in Greece. These refugees said that they did never think about return their homelands because it was one–way migration looking forward to migration within the European Union. It was also realized that these Pakistani migrants did not have any valid proof for identifying themselves as Pakistani citizen because these Pakistani refugees were living with unidentified “geo-nation” identities. These consequences gave them the identity of Donker among European society and before the immigration authority of European Union. There were some conditions for Bangladeshi asylums, which were also known as Donker due to unidentified geo-nation identity. Therefore, both Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylums and refugees got a new identity under provisions of UN HCR where these Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants opened their eyes to new birth in the glamour of Europe. These consequences sustained themselves in the cultural life of Europe because these asylums and refugees were looking forward to migration with no intention of return to root because the option of return to root was not mentioned in dictionary of these asylum and refugees. These Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylum/ refugees were a little bit interested in permanent settlement in Germany, France and Britain with hopes of a Sukun Pasand ( satisfied life ) in the European Union because these asylum and refugees expected a better life in the European Union compared to adverse conditions in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is a case study of 20-year-old asylum Majid, who was from Pakistan and he said that he was not interested in returning to Pakistan because he was searching for a cultural space for easy-going life in the glamour of Europe. These consequences can be analyzed by searching for the existence-based culture among Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylum and refugees, those used to enjoy every moment of their life through foot-by-foot migration from one country to another country within countries of European Union. In-Direct Return Intention and Formation of South Asian Culture in Greece It is observed that there was an explicit impact of South Asian culture in the environment of Greek culture due to the huge presence of South Asian refugees, those who sustained themselves as “South Asian Donkers” in Greece with a little bit of identity-based contradiction. These Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were unable to directly return to their homelands due to unidentified geo-nation identity but these refugees in-directly returned to their homeland by promoting Pakistani and Bangladeshi cultural building through Urdu and Bangla languages, music, cuisines, movies, folk and myths based culture. These consequences developed a form of cultural reflection of the “cultural mental region” of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also observed that there was a significant impact of Pakistani restaurants in Athens because huge numbers of Pakistani asylum and refugees came to these restaurants for food and shared their emotions and feelings about the political phenomena in Pakistan. These consequences can be analyzed where Pakistani asylums and refugees found a geo-cultural space in restaurants and emotionally attached to their homelands with pain and feeling about their left behind family members. It is a case study of a 27-year-old Pakistani refugee named Arshad, who was from Punjab state of Pakistan. He said that he regularly came to take food in the famous “Roti-Boti” Pakistani restaurant at Omonia Square in Athens. He said that “Roti and Boti” (Bread and Chicken) where “Roti” is associated with the richest culture of Punjab as well as the fragrance of the soil of Punjab, Pakistan. These consequences can be analyzed in that these Pakistani asylums and refugees found themselves in Pakistan in this restaurant with the friendly behaviour of the staff of the restaurant. These Pakistani asylums and refugees enjoyed the national celebration of Pakistani Independence Day in restaurants with “Qaumi- Parcham” (The national flag of Pakistan) and “Qaumi Tarana” (the national anthem of Pakistan) with Pakistani cuisines. These consequences minimized the geographical gap between Pakistani asylums/refugees and Pakistan as well as created a feeling of “Qaumiyat” (nationalism) of Pakistan among Pakistani asylums and refugees. These consequences were helpful in developing an understanding of the in-direct return intention of Pakistani asylum and refugees through the formation of a culture of Pakistan in Greece. In the case of Bangladeshi refugees, it is a case study of 27 years old named Siraz who was from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He said that he could never return to Bangladesh due to an unidentified geo-nation identity and he also expressed his emotion with tears in his eyes about their panic living conditions in Athens. He said that Bangladeshi refugees developed their “Gav” (village) where they found Bengali culture in Athens. He also said that he considered Indians as “Mitra” (friends) and “Parosee” (neighbours) due to a cordial relationship between India and Bangladesh. These consequences can be realized that Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were in-directly returned to their homelands with lots of memories, narration, pain and emotion because only positivity was an option for these asylums and refugees to sustain themselves in Greek culture through the formation of building capacity of diversified South Asian culture. Consequence of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece It is observed that there was an explicit consequence of the impact of the formation of South Asian culture in Athens because South Asian refugees developed a form of reflection of South Asian culture through South Asian languages and dialects. These consequences developed a form of “linguistic Diaspora” where Urdu and Bangla languages were represented by Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees respectively in the environment of the Greek language in Athens. It is also observed that these South Asian refugees were fluent in the Greek language due to their permanent stay in asylum camps in Athens. These perspectives were helpful for developing an understanding of Greek culture among South Asian asylums and refugees who used to learn Greek culture to adjust them self in Greece. These consequences developed a form of hybridization of nexus between South Asian and Greek culture due to the cordial reciprocal relationship between South Asian refugees/ asylums and Greek society. Therefore, it can be realized that the process of hybridization of two different cultures developed a narrative of “Hybrid-Diaspora” by confluence with two different cultures under the process of assimilation and integration. It is also observed that narration-based discourse was characterized by linear sequences of ethnography where wishes and abilities of South Asian refugees and asylums were reflected in the form of beliefs, values and norms toward the matter of cultural existence of South Asian culture in Greece. These consequences should be analyzed in that debate about the “existence-based culture” of unidentified asylums and refugees, those who considered their life as part of the easy-going glamour of Athens. Therefore, matters of acceptance and rejection played a crucial role in the function of the South Asian Diaspora in determining to soft cultural messages given by South Asian refugees and asylum. Therefore, both Greek society and South Asian refugees/ asylums accepted each other from the perspective of a human-centric approach because the Greek language minimised the psychological distance between South Asian refugees/asylums and Greek society. Apart, Greek society was considered liberal among South Asian refugees and asylums. It is a case study of 30-year-old Raza, who was from the Gujarat district of Pakistan and worked as a waiter at Roti-Boti restaurant in Athens. He said that he migrated to Greece with hopes of better individual life and well being of their left behind family members in Pakistan. It is observed that Raza was proficient in Greek language and culture with his native Urdu language and Pakistani culture. These consequences showed that Raza was representing himself as a unit of a hybrid society through the process of assimilation of two different cultures by norms, values, beliefs, and myths about Pakistani and Greek culture. These consequences can be analyzed that the entire function of the consequence of South Asian Diaspora was based on cultural components where the process of culturalization developed a form “ Donki Diaspora ” by the meaning of struggle, muteness, dynamics, and finally invisibility because these asylums and refugees became invisible in the glamour of Athens where they created a new cultural dimension of meaning, concept and definition of Diaspora as amusement Diaspora with the approach of “Har Fikra Ko Dhuen me Udata Chala Gya ” ( I am serious about enjoying life instead of every day worried in Athens) a famous traditional song of Bollywood. These perspectives were helpful in developing an understanding of the South Asian Diaspora in the context of the consequences of the Donki Diaspora in the era of globalization of migration. Challenges of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece It is observed that South Asian asylums and refugees faced a crisis of political identity due to unidentified geo-nation identity in Athens because these Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees did not have any valid identity regarding to prove their geo-political identity before the immigration authority of Greece. Therefore, these Donki asylums and refugees lived in asylum camps under the monitoring of UN HCR where they were being regularly regulated and monitored. These consequences created an environment of confusion among South Asian refugees and asylum regarding the political existence in Athens. These consequences can be analyzed as the role of a political hindrance for South Asian refugees and asylum for those illegally migrated to Greece and accessed little political right in Athens compared to convention Syrian refugees, those who migrated to Greece due to occurring political instability in Syria. Therefore, there was an explicit difference in political rights between South Asian and Syrian refugees because South Asians voluntarily illegally migrated to Greece with hopes of a better life in the glamour of Europe while Syrian refugees involuntary migrated to Greece for survival of their life. These consequences created a form of distress and panic conditions among illegal south refugees because these Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were treated as “ Donkers” by European society. From the perspective of social challenges, there was a soft social bonding between South Asian refugees/ asylums and Europeans because Europeans gave their social acceptance to the social existence of Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees and asylums. These consequences also created social challenges because these illegal refugees and asylums were considered part of Greek society with a little bit of social contradiction in a matter of the existence of social identity. These South Asian refugees and asylums were being considered as social crisis because they created a challenge for Greek society. These consequences can be analyzed as a function of social problems where illegal South Asian refugees were giving challenges to Greek society through their social penetration. From the perspective of economic challenges, it is observed that these Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees worked in the bottom segmentation of the labour market in Greece with economic contradictions, discriminations and challenges because the huge inflow of illegal migration from South Asia to Greece created a form of economic burden for Greece and EU. These consequences can be analyzed as the economic identity of South Asian refugees as “cheap mute labourers” because these refugees filled the gap in the economic necessity of the economy of Greece. These refugees found an economic space in Greece under provisions of UN HCR and tried to give an economic message to Greek society in the context of the explicit impact of development economics under right based approach of economic practices of South Asian refugees in Greece in the perspective of demographic aspects of labour market in Greece. From the perspective of culture, it is observed that Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees also created cultural challenges for Greek society because these refugees tried to show themselves as an important part of Greek culture without knowing the rich history of Greek culture. Apart, these refugees led to the process of assimilation of two different cultures as a hybrid culture. These consequences led to the matter of cultural strife between South Asian refugees and Greek society because these South Asian refugees in- directly returned to their homeland through the formation of their South Asian culture in Greece. From the perspective of sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 of the United Nations, it is realized that the Greece government helped the illegal South Asian refugees under the provision of EU and UN HCR. These illegal South Asian refugees were beneficiaries of refugees and asylum-related provisions but huge undocumented migration created a challenge for the implementation of sustainable development goals in the EU. These consequences can be analyzed as the role of illegal migration as a hindrance to the agenda for ensuring safe and regular migration under the agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Concluding remarks Based on the above concise discussion, it can be concluded that there was a well-developed culture of migration forced migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Greece in the form of voluntary cultural migration. These Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees followed the route of illegal Donki migration from South Asia to Greece via the border of Iran and Turkiye. These consequences developed a form of cultural migration due to the function of the social network system of migration from South Asia to Greece where South Asian refugees migrated through function of culture of “push-pull” factor of migration. A consequence of the push and pull factors of migration developed a form of “safe zone” culture region of migration where Pakistani and Bangladeshi forced migrants only understood about illegal migration to Greece instead of another source of livelihood because these Pakistanis and Bangladeshis voluntarily entered in illegal migration with the dream of a better life in the glamour of Europe compared to adverse conditions in Pakistan and Bangladesh where these forced migrants surpassed the geographical, political and psychological barriers of illegal international migration. These refugees migrated toward Europe in the context of culture through one-way migration because there was no option of returning to their homeland due to the unidentified geo-nation identity of Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees. Therefore, Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees did not have any option of direct return to their homeland but they in-directly return to their homeland through the formation of building of South Asian culture in Athens. These consequences minimized the geographical and cultural distance between South Asian refugees and South Asia. These consequences developed a form of mini South Asia in Athens by Urdu and Bangla languages, music, dance, dress style, cuisines, and folk. These consequences were reflected in the socio-economic and cultural behaviour of South Asian refugees in a positive way because the consequence of positivity is an adjusting mechanism for South Asian refugees in Greece where these South Asian refugees live in Greece with lots of memories of their homelands. These South Asian refugees did not live with their homeland culture but also followed the Greek culture and these consequences led to a process of “hybridization” of two different two cultures by assimilation between South Asian and Greek culture. These perspectives developed a form of “hybrid South Asian Diaspora” in Greece. These consequences created lots of socio-economic and cultural challenges where the huge presence of illegal South Asian refugees was giving new direction to the process of assimilation of two different cultures Greek society used to look at the South Asian refugees as “ Donker ” due to illegal entry in Greece. These consequences developed of form of mute conflict between South Asian refugees and Greek society because these South Asian refugees were penetrated into Greek culture. These perspectives showed that there was a culture of existence with a philosophy of acceptance and rejection among South Asian refugees and Greek society. These consequences created an environment of confusion among South Asian refugees and Greek society because explicit visibility of South Asian culture in the environment of Greek culture where the matter of culture was the subject of discussion with contradictions, discriminations and challenges of hybrid culture in Greece. Therefore, it can be finalized that there is a well-developed form of “hybrid South Asian Diaspora” in Greece with a process of “culturalization” of forced migration where the process of assimilation and integration developed a culture of South Asian Diaspora in Europe. Therefore, it can be recommended that there is a need to develop a mechanism to develop an understanding of the process, determinants and consequences of South Asian refugees in the context of socio-economic, political and cultural perspectives under the agenda of sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030 of United Nation for ensuring the safe and regular migration. Secondly, South Asian countries should start a comprehensive dialogue with the European Union in collaboration with UNHCR to ensure the welfare and protection of South Asian refugees in Europe. Thirdly, South Asian countries should take steps to prevent the process of illegal Donki migration because illegal migrants are creating lots of challenges for themselves in the illegal route of migration. Fourthly, South Asian countries should start a skilled-based training programme for South Asian migrants under the monitoring of the International Labour Organization according to the demand for skills in Europe. These consequences can be helpful in leading legal migration from South Asia to Europe because South Asian refugees can fill the gap of demand for labourers in the labour markets of Europe. Declarations Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author. Ethical Approval Entire conducted study was based on author’s own responsibility under the research ethics of University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India. Author obtained ethical approval for research degree committee of University of Allahabad, with approval number 59/RES/17/870 on the D.Phil topic “Cross-Border Migration: An Analysis of Migration from India to Gulf Countries by Processes and Consequences” in G B Pant Social Science Institute, University of Allahabad. Funding Present research work was sponsored by UGC JRF fellowship with UGC-Ref. No: 4674/ (NET-JUNE 2012). 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J Immigr Refugee Stud 16(1–2):1–14 Ligabue S (2018) Forced Migration and Refugees: Truama Experiance and Participatory Care. Transnatl Anal J, 166–180 Obokata T (2010) Global governance and international migration: a case study of trafficking of human beings. Refugee Surv Q 29(1):120–136 Papageorgiou N (2012) South Asian Migration in Greece. Cultural Plurality and Social Intagration. Cult Res 1:83–95 Taukeer M (2022) Donki Migration of Refugees from South Asia to Greece. Bord Crossing 12(1):33–43 Taukeer M (2022) Study of Process, Determinants and Consequences of Donkey Migration from South Asia to Greece in Europe. Refugee Watch Journal: South Asian J Forced Migration, 48–62 Taukeer M (2024) Ethnographic Analysis of Safe Zone Concept in Migration in Global Perspective. Migration Divers 3(1):71–87 Statistics on Migration to Europe https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database UNHCR (2024) : Data and Statistics: https:// Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5603769","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":387641605,"identity":"9b22435c-3bae-4182-9ab0-9377b8a75cdc","order_by":0,"name":"Mohammed Taukeer","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABCUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACZiA+AGZJfPhhIwdiHHiARz0PshbJmT1pxmAtCcRqkeZgO5zYAGLh02LPfsbY6EbFHXndaYcP3mbgYU6fH3b4IdAWOzndBhy28OQYJ+eceWa47XZasnWBBVvuxttpBkAtycZmB3A5LMf4cG7bYcZtt3PMpGfw8ORunJ0A0nIgcRsuLfxvwFrst93O/ybNwyaRbjg7/QN+LRJAhwG1JAJtYQNqMUiQl84hYMuNZ8XGOWcOJwP9Ymw5syfBcIN0TsGBBAPcfmHvT94snVNx2Hbb7eSHNz78+C8vPzt984cPFXZyuLRgAgOwSgNilYOAfAMpqkfBKBgFo2AkAAAqxWajP+oP4wAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5593-7760","institution":"International Institute of Migration and Development, Trivandrum, Kerala India","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammed","middleName":"","lastName":"Taukeer","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-12-08 16:05:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":71802567,"identity":"55202064-772c-40b2-9a30-053362b207c5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-18 17:01:53","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":31542,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 1.1: Cause- Effect Ethno Model\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSource: Field survey, 2017.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5603769/v1/5c02f971e0154e9cb27f21ff.png"},{"id":71804359,"identity":"e22ca332-22cd-4785-886e-809fd661f867","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-12-18 17:17:58","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":330584,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5603769/v1/8880b929-1cbc-4cb5-9aa9-eb59fddb7715.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthnographic Analysis of Phenomena of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Forced Migration and Its nature","content":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to UNHCR (2020), \u0026ldquo;Refugees are persons, who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for race, religion, nationality, and membership of a particular social group or political opinion. They are outside of their country of nationality and are unable or, owing to such fear, are unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country. Persons recognized as refugees under this definition are sometimes called convention refugees. They are usually granted open-ended permission to stay in the country of asylum while asylum seekers are persons, who apply for asylum in a country other than their own. They remain in the status of asylum seekers until their application is considered and adjudicated for the status of refugees.\u0026rdquo; According to UNHCR (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e), there were 43.4\u0026nbsp;million refugees and 68.3\u0026nbsp;million internally displaced people. This is a total of 120\u0026nbsp;million people who are forcibly displaced. In the context of return to home, 404,000 refugees could not return home. According to the statistics of European Union (2022), there was 23.0 per cent of Asylum from Asian countries in the EU. Among them, huge numbers of Asylums were from Bangladesh (38,965) and Pakistan (30,440). In the case of submission of asylum applications, most first-time asylum applications were lodged in Germany (329,000) followed by Spain (160,500), France (145,100), Italy (130,600), and Greece (57,900).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe process of forced migration is positively associated with political instability in the context of globalization of forced migration from third-world countries to first-world countries because the consequences of political instability forced people to migrate toward uncertain roots without any intention of returning to the root (Ligabue, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e: 166\u0026ndash;180). The consequences of huge forced migration are creating a form of refugee crisis in the Western world because these refugees settled in European countries with questionable remarks and unidentified nation-based identities. These consequences created a lot of hurdles in the way of crisis management of refugees in developed European countries (Krzyżanowski et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e: 1\u0026ndash;14). The matter of crisis management is being managed by re-settle Asian refugees in host countries because these Asian refugees showing their interest in not returning to their roots due to long-term future-based plans of settlement in European countries (Obokota, 2010:120\u0026ndash;136). In the context of South Asia, there is a culture of forced migration from South Asian countries to Greece due to well developed social network system of migration where these South Asian refugees migrate with hopes of a better life in Greece without showing any intention of return to root because these South Asian refugees have not any option of return to root instead of migration from one country to another country within European Union ( Taukeer, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e: 33\u0026ndash;43). Consequences of European-based forced Asian migration, lead to cultural plurality due to the explicit impact of South Asian culture in Greece because Asian refugees promoted their culture in Greece due to emotionally attachment with their roots in the environment of Greek culture in Athens (Papageorgiou, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e: 83\u0026ndash;95). Both Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees chasing the dreams of their life in the glamour of Europe because these forced migrants voluntary migrate to Greece with hopes of better life in the culture of Europe (Broersma \u0026amp; Lazarescu, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe return intention of refugees is positively associated with cultural intention because refugees developed a cultural map in host countries with capabilities of return to the root. Still, these refugees developed their own cultural mechanism for adjusting themselves in the culture of Western Europe with hopes and pain of forced migration ( Karimi \u0026amp; Byelikova, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e:1\u0026ndash;20). South Asian refugees take a matter of migration as a cultural phenomenon because these South Asian refugees developed a form of the mental cultural region of South Asia in Greece with a few contradictions and discriminations of forced migration (Taukeer, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e:48\u0026ndash;62). Consequences of the culture of forced migration developed a \u0026ldquo;safe zone\u0026rdquo; of migration among South Asian refugees in Greece because South Asian refugees migrated to Greece within a developed cultural region of migration where migration created a culture and culture-led migration. Apart, South Asian refugees faced problems of cultural existence due to unidentified geo-nation identity because these South Asian refugees lived without any valid travel documents. These consequences lead to political confusion among South Asian refugees in Greece (Taukeer, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e:71\u0026ndash;87).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, matter of forced South Asian migration is positively associated with consequence of cultural forced migration among South Asian illegal migrants; those follow the famous \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e route of migration from Bangladesh and Pakistan to Greece via the border of Iran and Turkiye. These \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e migrants voluntarily migrated through the uncertain route of migration with strategy of the \u0026ldquo;stop and go\u0026rdquo; mechanism of migration in the process of long journey of illegal migration. This kind of migration can be defined as \u0026ldquo;voluntary cultural forced migration\u0026rdquo; within specific cultural routes of migration within the \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e region of migration from Bangladesh and Pakistan to Greece via Iran and Turkiye. These consequences are being triggered by the safe zone concept of migration where \u003cem\u003eDonkers\u003c/em\u003e migrate through cultural factors of migration because migration created culture and culture leads the migration within social region of South Asian migration in EU. These consequences also led to the problem of cultural confusion and the existence of South Asian refugees in Greek society because Greek society see the illegal South Asian refugees as suspect and confused migrants about their existence in European culture. These illegal South Asian refugees showed themselves as isolated \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e in Greek culture. Apart, the huge tendency of illegal migration created socio-economic and cultural challenges in the context of assimilation and integration between two different cultural practices where South Asian refugees indirectly return to root with the formation of building capacity of South Asian culture in Greece with cultural contradictions and discriminations in the environment of Greek culture in Athens.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eBased on the above concise introduction part, major argument of this research paper can be realized that European-based South Asian forced migration is the result of the phenomena of culturally forced migration from Pakistan, and Bangladesh because migrants of these nations are being forced by the political crisis with hopes of a better life in European Union where they show their identity as \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eDonker\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; due to illegal \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Donki\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e migration with not showing any intention to return to root in the process of illegal cross-border migration. Therefore, the statement of the research problem of this research paper is based on the question proposed for the solution of the role of the cultural intention of forced migrants about the return to root in the perspective of culture. In these consequences, the major research question of this research paper is based on trying to answer unquestionable facts of forced migration with what, why, when, where and how aspects of research. The objective of this research paper is to find out the facts of the cultural intention of forced migrants about the direct return to their roots in South Asia with its impact and consequences of the formation of South Asian culture in the environment of Greek culture in Athens.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, the methodology of this research paper is based on ethnographic field surveys among 150 South Asian refugees in August 2017 in Athens. Omonia Square was the centre of the fieldwork because there were many numbers of parks and South Asian restaurants where Pakistani and Bangladeshi forced migrants shared their narration of emotions and feelings of forced migration and its struggle. Therefore, these consequences were suitable for observing the cultural intention of South Asian refugees about South Asia from a culture perspective.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong them, 100 refugees were from Pakistan and the rest were from Bangladesh. From the perspective of demography, out of the total sample of South Asian refugees, 140 refugees were male and the rest were females. From the perspective of age composition, there were 50 refugees under the age of 25, 60 refugees under the age group of 26 to 45 years and the rest above 45 years. Therefore, there was diversity among the sample of South Asian refugees by geography and demography. The process of sampling South Asian refugees was based on snowball and convenience sampling among South Asian refugees under a qualitative study design. The procedure of collecting primary data was based on the saturation stage of information under the ethnographic technique, where qualitative data was collected through passive observation, informal interviews, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. Collected qualitative data is analyzed by case studies, narratives, and descriptions with the approach of scientific ethno technique of content analysis of collected data through the interaction of independent and dependent variables under the cause-effect model.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1.1\u003c/span\u003e shows that culture is the independent variable and forced migration is the dependent variable because culture led to voluntary forced migration due to the well-developed culture of forced migration from South Asia to Europe. Therefore, there is a reciprocal relationship between culture and forced migration. The consequence of the interaction between culture and forced migration led to the process of culturalization of South Asian culture in Europe in the form of the independent variable and it led to cultural migration within the EU. Therefore, the interaction between culturalization as the independent variable and cultural migration as the dependent variable played an important role in the formation of the landscape of South Asian culture in Europe.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Result and Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eProcess and determinants of forced migration\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe nature of forced migration from South Asia to Greece is based on voluntary forced migration within well-developed culture regions of migration because political instability paved the way for the form of cultural forced migration due to the culture of migration. These consequences led to the so-called forced migration in the view of Pakistani migrants because these Pakistani refugees said that they migrated to Greece to enjoy an easy easy-going life compared to the ultra traditional Islamic lifestyle of Pakistan. These consequences created a form of suffocation among teenagers and youths, who were interested in getting the expected easygoing life in unstable Pakistan because these Pakistani youths expressed their negative opinion about socio-economic and political conditions as “adverse” for youths in Pakistan. These consequences led to the form of “culturally forced” migration because the entire function of \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e migration was based on cultural migration due to the function of push and pull factors of migration where the glamour of Europe was the trigger factor compared to the push factor as poor political conditions of Pakistan.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApart from that, a vast majority of Pakistani refugees said that they did not have any ideas about the future of Pakistan because they only thought about their individual life in the glamour of Europe. They also said that they left Pakistan with hopes of an “easy-going” life in Europe. These consequences can be analyzed in that there was a little bit of confusion among Pakistani refugees, who were not satisfied with the image of Pakistani as an “Islamic nation” with contradictions, discriminations and challenges.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the context of Bangladesh, there was the same story as Pakistan, where Bangladeshi refugees migrated to Athens for an easy-going life compared to the suffocation life in Dhaka. These consequences can be analyzed in that youths were taking the risk of illegal migration through the help of a human trafficking network from South Asia to Greece via Iran and Turkiye.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese consequences were positively associated with the occurring political crisis in both Pakistan and Bangladesh where these consequences were reflected as “voluntary cultural forced migration” because Pakistani and Bangladeshi youths migrated to Greece with hopes of searching for a space in the glamour of Athens. Therefore, these Pakistani and Bangladeshi forced migrants surpassed the socio-economic and psychological barriers across the barbed wires of international borders and these forced migrants reached Athens in three to four moths long uncertain risky journeys where life and death were moving around forced migrants in their journey in deserts, rivers, seas, forest, islands, valley, and mountain. These consequences can be analyzed in that these forced migrants were migrating with hopes of life and fear of death in the way of uncertain routes of illegal \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e migration where there was not any option to return to root instead of uncertainty in Greece and beyond it.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eWe are Donkers and we came to Athens with hopes of “Mast Maula Jindagi” (easy going life). We live in present because we are not interested in past and not worry about future”.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese consequences can be analyzed that these Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylums were happy with their existence in glamour of Europe because only dosage of happiness gave them a treatment of satisfaction from struggle among liberal European society due to liberal asylum related policies of European Union in Greece.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eReturn Intention of South Asian Refugees\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were not interested in returning to their roots because it could have never occurred due to an unidentified “geo-nation” identity in Greece. These South Asian refugees lived in the “mental region” of their homeland with its reflection in the form of emotion, feeling, narration, pain, fun and muteness. These consequences provided them a geo-cultural space in asylum camps in Athens where they developed their own story of migration in a positive way. These perspectives can be realized as a cultural settlement system in Athens because all the doors of return to back were locked instead of adjusting themselves to life in Greece. These refugees said that they did never think about return their homelands because it was one–way migration looking forward to migration within the European Union. It was also realized that these Pakistani migrants did not have any valid proof for identifying themselves as Pakistani citizen because these Pakistani refugees were living with unidentified “geo-nation” identities. These consequences gave them the identity of \u003cem\u003eDonker\u003c/em\u003e among European society and before the immigration authority of European Union. There were some conditions for Bangladeshi asylums, which were also known as \u003cem\u003eDonker\u003c/em\u003e due to unidentified geo-nation identity. Therefore, both Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylums and refugees got a new identity under provisions of UN HCR where these Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants opened their eyes to new birth in the glamour of Europe. These consequences sustained themselves in the cultural life of Europe because these asylums and refugees were looking forward to migration with no intention of return to root because the option of return to root was not mentioned in dictionary of these asylum and refugees. These Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylum/ refugees were a little bit interested in permanent settlement in Germany, France and Britain with hopes of a \u003cem\u003eSukun Pasand\u003c/em\u003e ( satisfied life ) in the European Union because these asylum and refugees expected a better life in the European Union compared to adverse conditions in Pakistan and Bangladesh.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eIt is a case study of 20-year-old asylum Majid, who was from Pakistan and he said that he was not interested in returning to Pakistan because he was searching for a cultural space for easy-going life in the glamour of Europe.\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese consequences can be analyzed by searching for the existence-based culture among Pakistani and Bangladeshi asylum and refugees, those used to enjoy every moment of their life through foot-by-foot migration from one country to another country within countries of European Union.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eIn-Direct Return Intention and Formation of South Asian Culture in Greece\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is observed that there was an explicit impact of South Asian culture in the environment of Greek culture due to the huge presence of South Asian refugees, those who sustained themselves as “South Asian Donkers” in Greece with a little bit of identity-based contradiction. These Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were unable to directly return to their homelands due to unidentified geo-nation identity but these refugees in-directly returned to their homeland by promoting Pakistani and Bangladeshi cultural building through Urdu and Bangla languages, music, cuisines, movies, folk and myths based culture. These consequences developed a form of cultural reflection of the “cultural mental region” of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is also observed that there was a significant impact of Pakistani restaurants in Athens because huge numbers of Pakistani asylum and refugees came to these restaurants for food and shared their emotions and feelings about the political phenomena in Pakistan. These consequences can be analyzed where Pakistani asylums and refugees found a geo-cultural space in restaurants and emotionally attached to their homelands with pain and feeling about their left behind family members.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eIt is a case study of a 27-year-old Pakistani refugee named Arshad, who was from Punjab state of Pakistan. He said that he regularly came to take food in the famous “Roti-Boti” Pakistani restaurant at Omonia Square in Athens. He said that “Roti and Boti” (Bread and Chicken) where “Roti” is associated with the richest culture of Punjab as well as the fragrance of the soil of Punjab, Pakistan. These consequences can be analyzed in that these Pakistani asylums and refugees found themselves in Pakistan in this restaurant with the friendly behaviour of the staff of the restaurant. These Pakistani asylums and refugees enjoyed the national celebration of Pakistani Independence Day in restaurants with “Qaumi- Parcham” (The national flag of Pakistan) and “Qaumi Tarana” (the national anthem of Pakistan) with Pakistani cuisines. These consequences minimized the geographical gap between Pakistani asylums/refugees and Pakistan as well as created a feeling of “Qaumiyat” (nationalism) of Pakistan among Pakistani asylums and refugees. These consequences were helpful in developing an understanding of the in-direct return intention of Pakistani asylum and refugees through the formation of a culture of Pakistan in Greece.\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eIn the case of Bangladeshi refugees, it is a case study of 27 years old named Siraz who was from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He said that he could never return to Bangladesh due to an unidentified geo-nation identity and he also expressed his emotion with tears in his eyes about their panic living conditions in Athens. He said that Bangladeshi refugees developed their “Gav” (village) where they found Bengali culture in Athens. He also said that he considered Indians as “Mitra” (friends) and “Parosee” (neighbours) due to a cordial relationship between India and Bangladesh.\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese consequences can be realized that Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were in-directly returned to their homelands with lots of memories, narration, pain and emotion because only positivity was an option for these asylums and refugees to sustain themselves in Greek culture through the formation of building capacity of diversified South Asian culture.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eConsequence of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is observed that there was an explicit consequence of the impact of the formation of South Asian culture in Athens because South Asian refugees developed a form of reflection of South Asian culture through South Asian languages and dialects. These consequences developed a form of “linguistic Diaspora” where Urdu and Bangla languages were represented by Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees respectively in the environment of the Greek language in Athens. It is also observed that these South Asian refugees were fluent in the Greek language due to their permanent stay in asylum camps in Athens. These perspectives were helpful for developing an understanding of Greek culture among South Asian asylums and refugees who used to learn Greek culture to adjust them self in Greece. These consequences developed a form of hybridization of nexus between South Asian and Greek culture due to the cordial reciprocal relationship between South Asian refugees/ asylums and Greek society. Therefore, it can be realized that the process of hybridization of two different cultures developed a narrative of “Hybrid-Diaspora” by confluence with two different cultures under the process of assimilation and integration. It is also observed that narration-based discourse was characterized by linear sequences of ethnography where wishes and abilities of South Asian refugees and asylums were reflected in the form of beliefs, values and norms toward the matter of cultural existence of South Asian culture in Greece. These consequences should be analyzed in that debate about the “existence-based culture” of unidentified asylums and refugees, those who considered their life as part of the easy-going glamour of Athens. Therefore, matters of acceptance and rejection played a crucial role in the function of the South Asian Diaspora in determining to soft cultural messages given by South Asian refugees and asylum.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, both Greek society and South Asian refugees/ asylums accepted each other from the perspective of a human-centric approach because the Greek language minimised the psychological distance between South Asian refugees/asylums and Greek society. Apart, Greek society was considered liberal among South Asian refugees and asylums.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eIt is a case study of 30-year-old Raza, who was from the Gujarat district of Pakistan and worked as a waiter at Roti-Boti restaurant in Athens. He said that he migrated to Greece with hopes of better individual life and well being of their left behind family members in Pakistan. It is observed that Raza was proficient in Greek language and culture with his native Urdu language and Pakistani culture. These consequences showed that Raza was representing himself as a unit of a hybrid society through the process of assimilation of two different cultures by norms, values, beliefs, and myths about Pakistani and Greek culture.\u003c/em\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese consequences can be analyzed that the entire function of the consequence of South Asian Diaspora was based on cultural components where the process of culturalization developed a form “ \u003cem\u003eDonki Diaspora\u003c/em\u003e” by the meaning of struggle, muteness, dynamics, and finally invisibility because these asylums and refugees became invisible in the glamour of Athens where they created a new cultural dimension of meaning, concept and definition of Diaspora as amusement Diaspora with the approach of \u003cem\u003e“Har Fikra Ko Dhuen me Udata Chala Gya\u003c/em\u003e” ( I am serious about enjoying life instead of every day worried in Athens) a famous traditional song of Bollywood. These perspectives were helpful in developing an understanding of the South Asian Diaspora in the context of the consequences of the Donki Diaspora in the era of globalization of migration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChallenges of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is observed that South Asian asylums and refugees faced a crisis of political identity due to unidentified geo-nation identity in Athens because these Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees did not have any valid identity regarding to prove their geo-political identity before the immigration authority of Greece. Therefore, these \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e asylums and refugees lived in asylum camps under the monitoring of UN HCR where they were being regularly regulated and monitored. These consequences created an environment of confusion among South Asian refugees and asylum regarding the political existence in Athens. These consequences can be analyzed as the role of a political hindrance for South Asian refugees and asylum for those illegally migrated to Greece and accessed little political right in Athens compared to convention Syrian refugees, those who migrated to Greece due to occurring political instability in Syria. Therefore, there was an explicit difference in political rights between South Asian and Syrian refugees because South Asians voluntarily illegally migrated to Greece with hopes of a better life in the glamour of Europe while Syrian refugees involuntary migrated to Greece for survival of their life. These consequences created a form of distress and panic conditions among illegal south refugees because these Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees were treated as “\u003cem\u003eDonkers”\u003c/em\u003e by European society.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of social challenges, there was a soft social bonding between South Asian refugees/ asylums and Europeans because Europeans gave their social acceptance to the social existence of Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees and asylums. These consequences also created social challenges because these illegal refugees and asylums were considered part of Greek society with a little bit of social contradiction in a matter of the existence of social identity. These South Asian refugees and asylums were being considered as social crisis because they created a challenge for Greek society. These consequences can be analyzed as a function of social problems where illegal South Asian refugees were giving challenges to Greek society through their social penetration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of economic challenges, it is observed that these Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees worked in the bottom segmentation of the labour market in Greece with economic contradictions, discriminations and challenges because the huge inflow of illegal migration from South Asia to Greece created a form of economic burden for Greece and EU. These consequences can be analyzed as the economic identity of South Asian refugees as “cheap mute labourers” because these refugees filled the gap in the economic necessity of the economy of Greece. These refugees found an economic space in Greece under provisions of UN HCR and tried to give an economic message to Greek society in the context of the explicit impact of development economics under right based approach of economic practices of South Asian refugees in Greece in the perspective of demographic aspects of labour market in Greece.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of culture, it is observed that Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees also created cultural challenges for Greek society because these refugees tried to show themselves as an important part of Greek culture without knowing the rich history of Greek culture. Apart, these refugees led to the process of assimilation of two different cultures as a hybrid culture. These consequences led to the matter of cultural strife between South Asian refugees and Greek society because these South Asian refugees in- directly returned to their homeland through the formation of their South Asian culture in Greece.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the perspective of sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 of the United Nations, it is realized that the Greece government helped the illegal South Asian refugees under the provision of EU and UN HCR. These illegal South Asian refugees were beneficiaries of refugees and asylum-related provisions but huge undocumented migration created a challenge for the implementation of sustainable development goals in the EU. These consequences can be analyzed as the role of illegal migration as a hindrance to the agenda for ensuring safe and regular migration under the agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n "},{"header":"Concluding remarks","content":"\u003cp\u003eBased on the above concise discussion, it can be concluded that there was a well-developed culture of migration forced migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Greece in the form of voluntary cultural migration. These Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees followed the route of illegal \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e migration from South Asia to Greece via the border of Iran and Turkiye. These consequences developed a form of cultural migration due to the function of the social network system of migration from South Asia to Greece where South Asian refugees migrated through function of culture of “push-pull” factor of migration. A consequence of the push and pull factors of migration developed a form of “safe zone” culture region of migration where Pakistani and Bangladeshi forced migrants only understood about illegal migration to Greece instead of another source of livelihood because these Pakistanis and Bangladeshis voluntarily entered in illegal migration with the dream of a better life in the glamour of Europe compared to adverse conditions in Pakistan and Bangladesh where these forced migrants surpassed the geographical, political and psychological barriers of illegal international migration. These refugees migrated toward Europe in the context of culture through one-way migration because there was no option of returning to their homeland due to the unidentified geo-nation identity of Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees. Therefore, Pakistani and Bangladeshi refugees did not have any option of direct return to their homeland but they in-directly return to their homeland through the formation of building of South Asian culture in Athens. These consequences minimized the geographical and cultural distance between South Asian refugees and South Asia. These consequences developed a form of mini South Asia in Athens by Urdu and Bangla languages, music, dance, dress style, cuisines, and folk.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese consequences were reflected in the socio-economic and cultural behaviour of South Asian refugees in a positive way because the consequence of positivity is an adjusting mechanism for South Asian refugees in Greece where these South Asian refugees live in Greece with lots of memories of their homelands. These South Asian refugees did not live with their homeland culture but also followed the Greek culture and these consequences led to a process of “hybridization” of two different two cultures by assimilation between South Asian and Greek culture. These perspectives developed a form of “hybrid South Asian Diaspora” in Greece. These consequences created lots of socio-economic and cultural challenges where the huge presence of illegal South Asian refugees was giving new direction to the process of assimilation of two different cultures Greek society used to look at the South Asian refugees as “\u003cem\u003eDonker\u003c/em\u003e” due to illegal entry in Greece. These consequences developed of form of mute conflict between South Asian refugees and Greek society because these South Asian refugees were penetrated into Greek culture. These perspectives showed that there was a culture of existence with a philosophy of acceptance and rejection among South Asian refugees and Greek society. These consequences created an environment of confusion among South Asian refugees and Greek society because explicit visibility of South Asian culture in the environment of Greek culture where the matter of culture was the subject of discussion with contradictions, discriminations and challenges of hybrid culture in Greece. Therefore, it can be finalized that there is a well-developed form of “hybrid South Asian Diaspora” in Greece with a process of “culturalization” of forced migration where the process of assimilation and integration developed a culture of South Asian Diaspora in Europe.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTherefore, it can be recommended that there is a need to develop a mechanism to develop an understanding of the process, determinants and consequences of South Asian refugees in the context of socio-economic, political and cultural perspectives under the agenda of sustainable development goals (SDGs) 2030 of United Nation for ensuring the safe and regular migration. Secondly, South Asian countries should start a comprehensive dialogue with the European Union in collaboration with UNHCR to ensure the welfare and protection of South Asian refugees in Europe. Thirdly, South Asian countries should take steps to prevent the process of illegal \u003cem\u003eDonki\u003c/em\u003e migration because illegal migrants are creating lots of challenges for themselves in the illegal route of migration. Fourthly, South Asian countries should start a skilled-based training programme for South Asian migrants under the monitoring of the International Labour Organization according to the demand for skills in Europe. These consequences can be helpful in leading legal migration from South Asia to Europe because South Asian refugees can fill the gap of demand for labourers in the labour markets of Europe.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eDisclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author. Ethical Approval Entire conducted study was based on author\u0026rsquo;s own responsibility under the research ethics of University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India. Author obtained ethical approval for research degree committee of University of Allahabad, with approval number 59/RES/17/870 on the D.Phil topic \u0026ldquo;Cross-Border Migration: An Analysis of Migration from India to Gulf Countries by Processes and Consequences\u0026rdquo; in G B Pant Social Science Institute, University of Allahabad. Funding Present research work was sponsored by UGC JRF fellowship with UGC-Ref. No: 4674/ (NET-JUNE 2012). Data availability statement The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Mohammed Taukeer upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRemoval of identifying information from the article confirmed.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col style=\"list-style-type: lower-roman;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBilsborrow RE, Hugo G, Oberai AS (1997) International migration statistics: Guidelines for improving data collection systems. International Labour Organization\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBroersma F, Lazarescu D (2009) Pakistani and Bangladeshi migration to Greece: Chasing the dream. European Commission: Brussels\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKarimi A, Byelikova Y (2024) Wartime (im) mobilities: effects of aspirations-capabilities on displaced Ukrainians in Canada and Germany and their viewpoints on those who remain in Ukraine //. J Ethnic Migration Stud 1\u0026ndash;20. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2024.2305282\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKrzyżanowski M, Triandafyllidou A, Wodak R (2018) The mediatization and the politicization of the refugee crisis in Europe. J Immigr Refugee Stud 16(1\u0026ndash;2):1\u0026ndash;14\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLigabue S (2018) Forced Migration and Refugees: Truama Experiance and Participatory Care. Transnatl Anal J, 166\u0026ndash;180\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eObokata T (2010) Global governance and international migration: a case study of trafficking of human beings. Refugee Surv Q 29(1):120\u0026ndash;136\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePapageorgiou N (2012) South Asian Migration in Greece. Cultural Plurality and Social Intagration. Cult Res 1:83\u0026ndash;95\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaukeer M (2022) Donki Migration of Refugees from South Asia to Greece. Bord Crossing 12(1):33\u0026ndash;43\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaukeer M (2022) Study of Process, Determinants and Consequences of Donkey Migration from South Asia to Greece in Europe. Refugee Watch Journal: South Asian J Forced Migration, 48\u0026ndash;62\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaukeer M (2024) Ethnographic Analysis of Safe Zone Concept in Migration in Global Perspective. Migration Divers 3(1):71\u0026ndash;87\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStatistics on Migration to Europe \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUNHCR (2024) : Data and Statistics: https://\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"International Instititiue of Migration and Development, Thiruvanananthauram , Kerala, India ","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Forced migration, South Asian refugees, Return intention, culture, identity, challenges","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe matter of forced migration and refugees is a global phenomenon because it is considered a crisis on global level. In these consequences, a major theme of this research paper is based on a study of forced migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Greece from the perspective of the cultural intention of return to the homeland. The major objective of this research paper is based on a study of the process, determinants and consequences of forced migration and their return intention. The methodology of the research paper is based on an ethnographic field survey among South Asian refugees in Athens in August 2017. Qualitative data was collected through personal interviews, focus group discussions and informal interviews under the saturation stage of information. Collected qualitative data is analyzed by case studies, narratives and descriptions under the content analysis of ethnographic technique. The findings of the study show that there is a function of \u003cem\u003eculturalization\u003c/em\u003e of forced migration from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Greece and these consequences developed a form of assimilation and integration between South Asian and Greek culture. It developed a form of South Asian \u003cem\u003ehybrid cultural diaspora\u003c/em\u003e through the in-direct return of South Asian refugees through the formation of building capacity of South Asian culture in Athens with the existence of contradictions, discriminations, and challenges about recreation of identity. Therefore, the findings of this research paper would encourage researchers, policymakers, and academicians to conduct further research in the area of forced migration and refugees related studies on a global level.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Ethnographic Analysis of Phenomena of South Asian Forced Migration in Greece","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-12-18 17:01:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5603769/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"eb5e161a-22f6-4b10-8c8e-6c813f54ff82","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 18th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":41308023,"name":"Cultural Studies"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-12-18T17:01:48+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-12-18 17:01:48","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5603769","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5603769","identity":"rs-5603769","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}