Interpreting Human Rights: Narratives from Asylum Centers in Greece and Philosophical Values

Kolliniati’s groundbreaking book, Interpreting Human Rights: Narratives from Asylum Centers in Greece and Philosophical Values, challenges the notion that the interpretation and application of human rights primarily occur within the corridors of power in Strasbourg or official European institutions. It argues that such interpretation takes place in the grassroots settings of rural areas and neighborhoods, by actors who do not belong to the class of decision‑making elites.

Focusing on the Aegean islands as exemplary sites of the European refugee crisis, this book draws on research conducted among local actors, including mayors, municipal councilors, representatives of NGOs and staff at refugee reception and identification centers. This book is divided into five distinctive sections: Methodology; Legal Framework and the Emergence of Hotspots; Empirical Research: Narratives of Local Actors; Local Narratives and Political Attitudes; and Glocalization of Human Rights. The study explores the role of human rights in narratives surrounding refugee flows, categorizing responses according to various political theory approaches such as global liberalism, egalitarianism, communitarianism and conservatism. By integrating applied political theory with localized human rights interpretations, this book offers actionable steps for addressing the challenges of migration in today’s interconnected world.

By amplifying the voices of those directly engaged with one of contemporary Europe’s most significant challenges, Interpreting Human Rights will appeal to scholars of sociology, political theory, politics and international law, particularly those interested in migration, human rights and refugee studies.

Maria‑Artemis Kolliniati is an adjunct lecturer of Human Rights, Political Theory and Forced Migration in the MA collaborative programs at TU Darmstadt and Goethe University Frankfurt. She teaches Human Rights at the Hellenic Open University and ‘Ethics, Politics, Law’ at the University of Athens School of Philosophy. Previously, she taught Jurisprudence at the University of Glasgow Law School. She was awarded a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (I.K.Y.) for her postdoctoral research, which she pursued and completed at the University of Athens School of Political Science. She holds a PhD in Political Science with a focus on Political Theory (2018) from the Ruprecht‑Karl‑University of Heidelberg.