Governing Migration Through Paperwork: Legitimation Practices, Exclusive Inclusion and Differentiation

Documents are essential for understanding migration governance and the practices of civil servants, providing insights into statehood, migration control, and migrants' strategies. Ethnographic studies in various contexts reveal how paperwork shapes statehood and migration control.

Format: Hardback
Length: 178 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2024
Publisher: Berghahn Books

Migration governance is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires a deep understanding of the concrete, daily practices of civil servants tasked with enforcing state laws and policies. Documents, which are core artefacts of bureaucratic work, play a crucial role in this process. These documents can include certificates, letters, reports, case files, decisions, internal guidelines, and judgements, both in digital and paper form. By examining these documents, we can gain insights into how civil servants produce statehood, restrict migrants' movements, and engage with migrants' strategies to make themselves legible. Ethnographic studies in various geographical and bureaucratic contexts have shown that documents are essential in shaping the state's relationship with migrants. They help to establish the boundaries of state authority, define the rights and obligations of migrants, and regulate their movements. Documents also play a role in shaping migrants' perceptions of the state and their own identities. In this collection, we explore how civil servants produce statehood, restrict migrants' movements, and engage with migrants' strategies to make themselves legible. We draw on ethnographic studies in various geographical and bureaucratic contexts to illustrate how documents are used to shape the state's relationship with migrants. We also highlight the role of paperwork as a powerful practice of migration control. By understanding the role of documents in migration governance, we can better address the challenges faced by migrants and promote more inclusive and equitable migration policies.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781805396116