Immigrational Exclusion in the West and Exile Culture in Africa: Exploring Parallels and Biopower Dynamics

Abstract

This study shows how political and ethnic elites employ their power to impose societal standards through exclusion practices like deportation and exile culture. The research also serves as a further illustration of Foucault's concept of bio-power being manifested. In this study, social exclusion from indigenous African societies and contemporary Western nations is investigated from a historical, social, and cultural standpoint. The study is built around Michael Foucault’s concept of biopower, and it employs discourse analysis as a methodology with an emphasis on Foucauldian discourse analysis. More so, the study incorporates the examination of African exile traditions and contemporary deportation from the Nollywood perspective. Hence, two Nollywood films, Anchor Baby ‘2010’ and Arodan ‘2023’, whose themes resonate with the study’s objectives, were selected. The study found out that whether it is the State exercising its power to regulate immigration or traditional leaders demonstrating their authority over their communities to maintain social order, deportation and exile are tools through which biopower is exerted. It recommends that effective policy communication is essential for addressing the utilization of this biopower and reducing racial or national prejudice, especially in deportation operations. The study contends that the inaccurate depiction and improper use of biopower strategies can result in profound psychological effects for the impacted individuals. It further recommends that it is imperative for authorities to give high importance to effective policy communication and actively take measures to reduce possible adverse outcomes. Ensuring that immigrants are given the confidence that deportation decisions are based on legitimate justifications, such as public or national security, is of utmost importance.