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The emergence of mass migration to Greece in the 1990s-one unforeseen by political elites and the mass public-resulted in markedly increased levels of hostility and fear vis-à-vis migrants. Interpreting this response from the perspective of societal security, we analyse both public opinion data and elite discourse. We argue that the official policies of the Greek state and public pronouncements of political leaders helped foster and perpetuate an interpretation of migration centred on threat, fear, criminality and security. Over the course of the decade, Greek public opinion and elite rhetoric were clearly characterized by a sense of danger and threat, both to Greek national culture as well as to individuals' own personal security.

This article focuses on migrant women's diverse experiences in the Greek labour market. Since the early 1980s all four Southern European countries of the EU, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, have been transformed from emigration into immigration countries. The new immigrants, mostly undocumented and illegal, join the informal labour market under highly exploitative conditions. Starting from migrant women's own perspectives, we analyze their experiences (1) in the framework of the unfolding «Mediterranean immigration model»; (2) in the midst of increasing migratory flows to Greece in particular; (3) in the context of the legal and policy framework for migrants in Greece; and (4) in the framework of women's citizenship in society. Our qualitative study of immigrant women in Greece fleshes out the general trends of women's participation in informal labour markets, documents the multi-layered nature of their economic and social exclusion, and highlights the intersecting racialization and sexist practices shaping their experiences

Neovi M. Karakatsanis is professor of political science at Indiana University, South Bend. Jonathan Swarts is professor of social sciences at Purdue University North Central, Westville, Indiana.