Humanitarianism and the Justification of Externalisation

This paper explores border externalisation by attending to the humanitarian framing of refugees as subjects of needs, and exploring the ways in which tensions within the discourse of humanitarianism can be exploited for unjust ends. It demonstrates how humanitarian arguments can be deployed in support of externalisation policies. It thus operates on a double register: as a critique of the exploitation of humanitarian discourses and as a critique of humanitarianism.