Beyond Borders
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03/2019 N°19 Beyond Borders Beyond Borders The Passerelle Collection The Passerelle Collection, realised in the framework of the Coredem initiative (Communauté des sites de ressources documentaires pour une démocratie mondiale – Community of Sites of Documentary Resources for a Global Democracy), aims at presenting current topics through analyses, proposals and experiences based both on field work and research. Each issue is an attempt to weave together various contributions on a specific issue by civil society organisations, NGOs, social movements, media, trade unions, academics, etc. The publication of new issues of Passerelle is often asso- ciated to public conferences, «Coredem’s Wednesdays» which pursue a similar objective: creating space for dia- logue, sharing and building common ground between the promoters of social change. All issues are available online at: www.coredem.info Coredem, a Collective Initiative Coredem (Community of Sites of Documentary Resources for a Global Democracy) is a space for exchanging knowl- edge and practices by and for actors of social change. More than 30 activist organisations and networks share information and analysis online by pooling it thanks to the search engine Scrutari. Coredem is open to any organisa- tion, network, social movement or media which consider that the experiences, proposals and analysis they set forth are building blocks for fairer, more sustainable and more responsible societies. Ritimo, the Publisher The organisation Ritimo is in charge of Coredem and of publishing the Passerelle Collection. Ritimo is a network for information and documentation on international solidarity and sustainable development. In 75 locations throughout France, Ritimo opens public information centres on global issues, organises civil society campaigns and develops awareness-raising and training sessions. Ritimo is actively involved in the production and dissemination of plural and critical information, by means of its website: www.ritimo.org Beyond Borders: Understanding, Fighting and Overcoming the Walls that Surround Us CAROLINE WEILL Coordinator of the editorial committee ithout doubt, we currently live in a world of walls: between Mexico and the USA, Israel and Palestine, India and Bangladesh, Hungary and Serbia, around the Spanish enclaves in Morocco... Every- where we look, there are walls dividing lands and peoples. As W st we make our way into the 21 century, we are witnessing a global trend where countries are closing their borders, and restricting who comes onto their land. Not only is this toughened stance doing little to deter people; it is contributing to an alarming rise of human rights violations. Whether it be migrants travelling through Libya being sold as slaves, or the thousands who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean; whether it be the refugee camps or the migrants be- ing hunted down, harassed and humiliated... All these attacks on our common humanity are frighteningly close to becoming the new normal. Borders, border control, and what is happening in these spaces are at the centrer of public debate and media coverage of migration issues, fuelling controversies and misconceptions, particularly in Europe and North America. The border em- bodies a great number of social, (geo)political, economic and historical issues, generating a proliferation of ideas, projects and actions. It is therefore crucial to examine and think deeply about the border and everything that it symbolises in order to imagine the future of territories and their people. It is not simply about taking a narrow approach in order to find a “solution” to the “migration crisis”, but about building a future where fundamental rights are respected, where people can move freely, where refugees are welcomed and human dignity is upheld. 5 INTRODUCTION This issue of Passerelle aims, therefore, to do two things: to inspire people to analyse and think through the global issues surrounding borders as a social, economic and political reality; and to give a voice to the people that are chal- lenging closed-border policies and offering ideas and alternatives that call into question the current predominant border regime. It is divided into three sections. The first section looks at the making and reality of borders today. Like everything that makes up humanity and society, the border is a social and political construct that is the product of historical processes. The very nature of these borders is changing, driven by the increasingly technological approach to border control. Border control is increasingly centred on transportation networks and hubs. And the Dublin Regulation’s fingerprinting database has effectively meant that the border is now something we carry around on our fingertips… Between re- territorialisation and dematerialisation, what does a border zone look like today? The second section will explore the political and economic issues that underlie current forms of border control, and look at the justifications involved: What is the purpose of a border? And who benefits from it? Alongside the building of fences and walls, the militarisation of borders and the increased amount of surveillance, a narrative of “migrant invasion” is be- coming more popular among certain nationalistic and xenophobic sections of the population. And border control has become a geopolitical issue in itself, with externalisation policies, international police cooperation, and countries engaged in negotiations that reinforce closed border policies. It is crucial that we understand the political message behind the move to “strengthen” borders. The economic issues linked to the closing of borders are also of key importance: “development” disparities, the exploitation of migrant workers, a booming arms and surveillance industry, high-tech border walls, retraining the army towards roles in border control.... These all form part of a veritable closed border economy. And the final section focusses on the stories of resistance and the thinking that challenges borders and the role they play in our current world. These articles comprise both the stories, accounts and experiences of the people that contravene border laws and their personal or collective analysis. Some of these people take action independently; others form part of migrant networks and groups that support them. How can we protect people’s fundamental rights when public policies that involve closing borders are fuelling extreme violence? There are many ways to take action and fight back as illustrated by the different examples of collective organisation, direct action, and day-to-day solidarity. There are a whole myriad of responses to injustice, instigated by a diverse range of people, and they are cropping up wherever you look. This section also looks more closely at “practical utopias” which aim to create a world where everyone is entitled to true freedom of movement. Are we able to imagine a world “without borders”? What would the social structure of such a world look like? The experiences of 6 those that challenge nation-states and their borders and who offer sometimes radically different perspectives are also explored in this section: these include independent regional movements that are changing the rules of the border game, nomadic communities who have a different understanding of the world, internationalist movements, to name a few. This issue thus seeks to link up what is an extremely topical issue to the more long-term dynamics involved in different areas of the world. It seeks to shed light on the various geopolitical and economic forces at work, as well as draw attention to past and present civic actions and movements. The latest issue of Passerelle thus strives to stimulate debate and reflection, to provide first-hand accounts and suggest avenues for political action that will enable us to get a better grasp on border issues. In this way, we will be better equipped to work, through international solidarity, towards achieving social justice and protecting the fundamental rights of everyone. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents Beyond Borders: Understanding, Fighting and Overcoming the Walls that Surround Us 5 CAROLINE WEILL THE CONCEPT OF BORDER IN A GLOBALISED WORLD 11 A. A SHORT HISTORY OF BORDERS 12 Borders, Closer to Usthan Ever Before 13 ANNE-LAURE AMILHAT SZARY “Freedom of Movement”: Thoughts on The World of Yesterday 19 EMMANUEL BLANCHARD The Nation-State and Borders in West Africa: the Challenge of Globalisation 27 PAPA DEMBA FALL The Garifunas: A Nation Across Borders, Besieged by the Nation-State 33 CARLOS AGUDELO B. THE BORDER, BETWEEN RETERRITORIALISATION AND DEMATERIALISATION 41 Walled In 42 CDTM-MONDE SOLIDAIRE LA FLÈCHE Urban Borders: the Wall of Shame in Lima 46 DIANA RIVAS GUTIERREZ Virtual Borders: the Strategy of Driving Back, Dispersing and Identifying 50 LOLA COURCOUX Eurodac : social and political impacts of the digitization of the external European border 57 BRIGITTA KUSTER AND VASSILIS TSIANOS C. FOCUS SUR DES ZONES FRONTALIÈRES 63 The Prism of Gender on the Morocco-Spain Border 64 ELSA TYSZLER 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Border Zones, Detainment and the Rule of Law 71 LAURE BLONDEL A Labyrinth of Border Towns 79 BEATRIZ PLAZA ESCRIVÀ THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STAKES OF CLOSED BORDERS 86 A. POLITICAL STAKES 87 Borders as Symbols of National Sovereignty 88 CATHERINE WITHOL DE WENDEN Inside the Political Machine of the Israeli Wall 92 DAMIEN SIMONNEAU Venezuelans Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place 100 FRÉDÉRIQUE LÉVÊQUE Externalising