The International Organization for Migration in North Africa: Making International Migration Management

This book explores the practices of the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) in managing international migration and examines the transformations of migration governance and the role of international organizations outside Europe. It develops an innovative theoretical framework that mobilizes Bourdieus Theory of Practice to critically investigate the IOM's work in Morocco and Tunisia between 2005 and 2015. The book shows how the IOM teaches potential migrants and North African actors to understand migration as their own problem and its management as their own responsibility. It advances our understanding of the complex and ambivalent practices of controlling migration through information, protection, and repatriation and the implications of ubiquitous but underresearched institutions, such as the IOM, in this contested field.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the practices and transformations of international migration management, with a specific focus on the International Organization for Migrations (IOM). It explores the evolving landscape of migration governance and the role of international organizations beyond Europe. While the migration crises in North Africa in 2005 and 2011 brought attention to the instability of the militarized border regime, they also paved the way for new actors and instruments to emerge in the field of international migration management. These actors, often referred to as "new migration management actors," promise softer forms of control over migration outside Europe.

However, the question remains: who are these actors, and how do they approach migration control without resorting to physical force or obvious repression? To answer this, the book develops an innovative theoretical framework that draws upon Bourdieu's Theory of Practice. It critically examines the work of the IOM in Morocco and Tunisia between 2005 and 2015, analyzing its information campaigns, voluntary return programs, and anti-trafficking politics. Through this analysis, the book demonstrates how the IOM teaches potential migrants and North African actors to understand migration as their own problem and its management as their own responsibility.

By advancing our understanding of the complex and multifaceted practices of controlling migration through information, protection, and repatriation, this book sheds light on the implications of ubiquitous but underresearched institutions, such as the IOM, in this contested field. It will appeal to postgraduates, researchers, and academics in International Relations Theory, Border and Migration Studies, International Political Sociology, international organizations, and contemporary politics in North Africa.

Weight: 412g
Dimension: 156 x 235 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032068572