Abstract
This article examines the complex realities of international mobility along the Balkan routes, focusing on the consequences of the European Union’s border externalisation policies for the lived experiences of people on the move. Drawing on an ethnographic approach grounded in participant observation and fieldwork conducted with an independent movement in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the study explores how borders function not merely as geographic demarcations but also as political, social, and class constructs. Firsthand testimonies reveal systematic pushbacks and border violence, including the widespread use of torture and dehumanising practices on the Croatian-Bosnian border. The article further offers sociological reflections on the concept of state and border violence, alongside political considerations regarding accountability in the management of the EU’s external borders.