Amsterdam lecture
With many thanks to the wonderful Sylvia Aru for the invite and to Darshan Vigneswaran and Polly Pallister-Wilkins for convening. Lecture today with Evie Papada!
This lecture is co-organised by the ACES – FMG Migration Network and the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES)
To many, a border is a geographical fact. But what happens when a border is subject to an emergency? Today, as millions are forced to migrate due to war, famine and political unrest, it is important to analyse how states use new bordering techniques to control populations.
The lecture New Borders is based on the homonymous book edited by Pluto Press in 2019 and is held by two of the four authors: Antonis Vradis and Evie Papada. Their research focuses on the Greek island of Lesbos. Since 2015, the island has come under intense scrutiny as more than one million people have disembarked on its shores. During this time, the authors spent two years studying the changing meanings and functions of the EU’s border. They observed how the reception of the refugees slid into detention and refuge became duress. Examining how and why this happened, they tackle questions on European policy, the securitisation of national and EU borders and the real impacts this has had on everyday life, determining who ‘belongs’ where and when.