The African immigrants in the public space of Athens
Athens only quite recently, since the late 1980s, has become a immigrant-receiving city. Inthis context Africans have a considerable visibility in the center of Athenian Metropolis. Since their first years in the destination city - Athens, they tried to belong and bond with thearea that was “pointed out for them” as a neighborhood, in order to feel as comfortable aspossible in a new, unfriendly environment.The paper will demonstrate the degree and the characteristics of the relationship between African women and public spaces (squares and parks), public transportation, political andsocial events as ‘spaces’ of interaction and belonging. For nine months (February 2010 –October 2010) the neighborhood where most of the African community is concentrated in Athens has been studied. We were collecting evidence pertaining to the use of the public spaces and public transportation means by African immigrants. At the same time a group of African women activists were interviewed regarding their believes, customs, culture andtheir relationship with the Athenian public spaces. All these methods provided a detailedview of the public everyday life of African women in the Metropolis in certain public spaces in Athens. In particular, the paper after demonstrating the Athenian reality regarding the placing of immigrants in certain ’strategic’ central areas, presents quantitative and qualitative data for the African community in Athens and especially its female members. Also, particular familiarized areas in the metropolis are presented through the use of analytic mapping as well as with respect to their use by immigrants as interaction and recreational space. Special emphasis is placed on the commercial activities (as quasi-public spaces) that take place in and around these more ’formal’ public spaces. In addition, through participant observation of the African women’s organization in Athens, another quasi-public space, the paper willdeal with the political mobilization, official and undocumented, of the African communityand especially of African women.
▻http://www.academia.edu/2896352/The_African_immigrants_in_the_public_space_of_Athens
#Athènes #Grèce #immigrants #espace_public #cartographie #femmes #géographie_urbaine #femmes_migrantes