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Maintaining Distance and Producing Indifference in Swiss Immigration Detention

20.02.2018 , in ((Erfahrung)) , ((Keine Kommentare))

In contrast to many other countries, Switzerland confines most of its immigration detainees in ordinary prisons together with convicted or on remand prisoners – although usually in separated areas. As a consequence, prison officers are those in charge of the confinement and exclusion of migrants. They are constantly confronted with their suffering, which may take the form of bewilderment, anger, or despair, and develop forms of moral detachment to cope with the situation. ...

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Encounters with the Spanish Guardia Civil at a Border Crossing in Melilla

14.12.2017 , in ((Border Criminologies, Erfahrung)) , ((Keine Kommentare))

State officials in securitized migratory fields – such as: border controls, detention and deportation units, combatting trafficking, etc. – operate regularly with a strong conviction that no outsider knows better than they how to perform their job. As state-securitized operations often tread thin ethical lines, involve “sensitive” maneuvers, and are based on guarded know-how, it is preferable and easy for officials to fence off attempts at studying their work. ...

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The “Migration Crisis” in Europe: An Interpretation

22.06.2017 , in ((Politik)) , ((Keine Kommentare))

Since 2015, the term “migration crisis” has appeared in the media almost on a daily basis. Why now and not back in the 1990’s when comparable numbers of asylum requests were lodged in Europe? Many parameters are indeed very different today than in past episodes of refugee arrivals. In 2015, refugees moved in large numbers over large distances, from the South to the North, and they had to risk their lives to do so. The lack of political coherence in Europe when coping with these arrivals nearly led to a breakdown of the entire EU. However, it is not only a “crisis” of politics, but also of numbers, distance and rights. What are its fundamentals? ...

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Retour sur la notion de passeur

16.06.2017 , in ((Politik)) , ((Keine Kommentare))

La notion de passeur est aujourd’hui négativement connotée: elle renvoie généralement à l’image d’êtres malveillants qui profitent de personnes vulnérables pour s’enrichir à leurs dépens. Il est nécessaire de revenir sur les significations de ce terme dans le contexte actuel afin de déconstruire les idées reçues qui lui sont associées. ...

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