July 2018 Volume: 15, No: 3, pp. 423 – 436 ISSN: 1741-8984 e-ISSN: 1741-8992 www.migrationletters.com Copyright @ 2018 MIGRATION LETTERS | Transnational Press London Article History: Received: 30 November 2017 Accepted: 22 March 2018. FIELD NOTES: Four voices of refugee solidarity along the Balkan Route: An exploratory pilot study on motivations for mobilisation Nicolas Parent  Abstract Scathing critiques of the European response to what has been widely called a ‘refugee crisis’ are not in short supply. However, as many activist mobilisations and solidarities emerged along the Balkan Route, this is only one facet of the European response to forced migration. Having interviewed four migration activists from four countries along this route – Greece, Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary – this exploratory pilot study sought to investigate possible motivational factors for mobilisation in light of the fact that the participants had no prior experience in activism nor interest in the politics of migration prior to the European migration crisis. Through content analysis of interview transcripts, two factors emerged as having potential implications for mobilisation: media coverage and visibility of refugees. Hence, theories about the media effect and intergroup contact are used to explicate the findings. Possible future research avenues are proposed. Keywords: refugees; perception; media; intergroup relations; mobilisation; activism; Balkans. Introduction The American psychologist Richard J. Gerrig defines ‘motivation’ as “the process of starting, directing, and maintaining physical and psychological activities” (Gerrig, 2013: G-9). Yet, contrary to the simplicity implied in its definition, motivation – its sources and mechanics – continue to puzzle psychologists, behavioural scientists, and social psychologists alike. Academic research, both empirical and theoretical, has yielded a vibrant spectrum of potential motivational factors for civic engagement at a range of scales: internal motivations such as self-defined personality traits, deeply ingrained values and long-standing moral principles (Jacobsson and Lindblom, 2013; Omoto et al., 2010), the role of existing or a desire to build new relationships (Borshuk, 2004; Stuermer et al., 2005; Stuermer et al., 2006), political ideologies (Curtin et al., 2016; Kende et al., 2017), a sense of universal social responsibility (Boyte and Kari, 1996; Cole and Stewart, 1999), and expected gains on personal, local or societal goals (Clarly et al., 1998; Snyder and Omoto, 2008; Theodossopoulos, 2016).  Nicolas Parent, Observatory for Human Rights and Forced Migrants in Turkey (OHRFMT), Izmir, Turkey. E-mail: nik.parent@gmail.com.