Dragan Umek and Shahid Aziz present on TheGAME research and cultural mediation
Date: 14 APRIL 2026
Event location: Genoa, Italy / online
During the 'HTH Liguria 6 – Hope this Helps' training seminar, held in Genoa and online under the direction of Professor Andrea Tomaso Torre, two members of the GAME research team delivered a multidisciplinary analysis of migratory mobility changes in the Balkans.
Dragan Umek opened the session by discussing the distinctive geographical scope of this five-year ERC-funded research programme, which extends from Turkey to Italy. He then went on to detail the geopolitics of the relevant Balkan countries and the complex interaction between existing borders, walls and natural barriers.
Building on this framework, Shahid Aziz presented an analysis of the role of cultural mediation in such a large-scale research project. Focusing on the situation of migrants arriving in Trieste, he described the presence of various categories of migrants and homeless individuals, as well as how low-threshold systems and shelters function, and how the 'accoglienza diffusa' (diffused reception) and CAS (Centri di Accoglienza Straordinaria) systems operate in this context. Particular attention was given to the protection of unaccompanied foreign minors, as well as to the daily conditions experienced by migrants living in extreme poverty, including those informally occupying warehouses in the Porto Vecchio area of Trieste. Finally, he addressed the critical issue of smuggling and trafficking along the route and concluded with a reflection on the bureaucratic and material difficulties currently faced by migrants in Trieste.