New book by Dr Andriani Fili explores Greek immigration detention and resistance

Dr Andriani Fili, a Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Criminology, has published Caged Histories: Violence and Resistance in Greek Immigration Detention (Routledge), a new book that traces the hidden histories, systemic violence and acts of resistance within Greece’s immigration detention system.

Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic research and Dr Fili’s experience as an NGO practitioner, the book reveals how detention has been used as a tool of border control and racial exclusion, and challenges assumptions about the inevitability of these “cages” while foregrounding the voices and struggles of those directly affected.

The book is closely linked to the Detention Landscapes research project, an interdisciplinary initiative led by Dr Fili and hosted within Oxford’s Border Criminologies network. The programme has created an open-access database documenting human rights violations in immigration detention facilities in Greece and beyond. Detention Landscapes has already been recognised for its impact, including a Highly Commended award in Oxford’s 2025 Social Sciences Impact Awards for its role in exposing rights abuses and supporting legal and advocacy efforts.

Read Dr Fili's reflections on writing the book on the Border Criminologies blog.