Solidaritas et Mercatus: Discursive Constructions and Contested Social Representations of Cross-Border “Facilitators” in Irregular Migration

Abstract

This study examines the emerging social representations of actors described as “cross-border facilitators” within irregular migration networks along the Balkan Route. Unlike figures commonly framed as human smugglers, these actors are portrayed by migrants as offering selective assistance outside a purely commercial logic, often with minimal or no financial compensation. Drawing on qualitative interviews with migrants and individuals who interact with such facilitators, the research explores how their roles, motivations, and vulnerabilities are discursively constructed. The findings suggest that these “facilitators” symbolically disrupt the dominant migration economy by challenging profit-driven models of smuggling, provoking narrative contestation, reputational attacks, and heightened legal scrutiny. Using the concepts of anchoring and objectification from social representations theory, the analysis reveals how facilitators are framed in contrast to smugglers, highlighting themes of moral positioning, trust, and selective solidarity. Rather than reflecting fixed categories, these distinctions emerge from the stories told by migrants navigating complex moral and economic landscapes. The study contributes to broader debates on irregular migration, criminalization, and the contested meanings of border-crossing assistance.