The Securitisation of Migration in Border Regions: Shaping Policies and Practices of Inclusion and Exclusion in Southern Europe

Abstract

The securitisation of migration is highlighted as more starkly observable in the southern border regions of the European Union (EU), which act as a buffer zone between unwanted international migration and fortress Europe. Herein EU states develop a wide-range of techniques of power characterised by representations of individuals migrating as a threat or risk to be managed. In southern border regions, this is often through ad-hoc, crisis-driven policy experimentation with constantly evolving practices to ‘manage migration’ that are replicated by other states. Host communities in border regions, including individuals, civil society groups, and other non-state organisations, tend to be the first-line of support in efforts towards local inclusion and integration but are often lacking the power, influence, tools, and/or resources to respond appropriately. Such cyclical dynamics observed across a wide-range of receiving states warrant further reflection on state-centralised power to control and regulate the lives of migrants and current processes of inclusion and exclusion. This panel critically examines migration policies and practices at the micro-level through a series of diverse case studies including Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain. Combining empirical and theoretical papers from a Southern European perspective, this panel explores how state and non-state actors develop, showcase, and exercise power over immigration, reflecting on civil society’s role and ability to influence, reinforce, or contest the securitisation of migration in practice. With such rich perspectives and geographies, these pieces set the stage for enriching discussion and debate surrounding questions of inclusion, exclusion, and belonging in and beyond contemporary migration policy and practice in the EU.

Title	Details
Border Encounters: How Citizens React to Immigration Detention in Italy	View Paper Details
From Lesvos to the Canary Islands: The Role of the State and Civil Society in the Securitisation of Migration	View Paper Details
Negotiating the Governance of Migration through Informality: An Ethnographic Account from the Italian-Slovenian Border	View Paper Details
Migrant Women Negotiating Mobility and Belonging in Portugal: Informed by Intersectional Analysis of Experiences of Latin American Women from Brazil and Hispanic Countries	View Paper Details