Refugees, Immigration Control and Indifference: Reflections on the Role of Distance

Prof Nick Gill (Exeter, Dept of Geography)

In this lecture Professor Nick Gill seeks to understand the ways in which border control practices draw forth indifference to refugees. In particular, the recent history of border control in Britain has highlighted various ways in which different forms of distance – literal, cultural and psychological – have been implicated in the nurturing and generation of indifference to migrant suffering and struggle among the public in general and among functionaries within the border control system. Professor Gill offers both a general reflection on the dynamics of indifference, estrangement and remoteness in contemporary immigration control regimes, and a summary of recent findings from research in Britain’s First Tier immigration and asylum tribunal. The discussion concludes by exploring the implications of the dynamics of indifference for activist tactics in pursuit of deborderisation.

Organiser: Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies

Contact email: cb92@soas.ac.uk