Migration and networks in transit: The co-evolution of migration trajectories and social networks of sub-Saharan African migrants in Turkey and Greece

Journeys of irregular migrants are often far from easy, straightforward moves from one country to another. This is typically explained in relation to restrictive migration policies, and by migrants’ difficulties with providing financial support to their social networks in their countries of origin. Such reasoning is based on assumptions about the anticipated course of the journey and the role of migrants’ social networks. This thesis questions such assumptions and investigates the mechanisms by which journeys evolve. It shows how this evolution is related to changes taking place in migrants’ social networks and the experience of critical events. The findings stress the importance of viewing migration as part of people’s life trajectories, which can take unexpected and uncalculated turns.