Being Out-of-quota: an Analysis of Refugee's Border Experiences in Northern Italy

Abstract

Drawing on fieldwork among refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Italy, this article examines how local policies of exclusion and the resulting accentuation on a system of stratification in the Italian northern border zone of South Tyrol target the exclusion of particular groups of refugees. In doing so, it indicates concrete policies of exclusion and exclusionary practices against refugees and potential asylum seekers in the Italian northern border zone. To manage and control mixed mi-gration flows, local authorities have extended the system of civic stratification in the province by denying fundamental rights to a particular group of refugees. The article adopts a qualitative research approach. Two research methods have been used to understand the complex research settings: semi-structured interviews with different actors operating in the research field and document analysis. The results of the analyses underline the importance of linking the labelling process with a broader discussion on civic stratification as a potential framework to understand a system of inequality based on the relationship between specific categories of individuals and local authorities and the rights denied by them.