Abstract
Sub-Saharan African migration towards the European Union (EU) belongs to one of the most stigmatized forms of migration of the 21st century. It is strongly characterized by EU’s restrictive migration policies. As a consequence, migrants who are aspiring to reach the EU often undertake fragmented and dangerous journeys to the North. This contribution attempts to gain more empirical insights into these migratory journeys. It is based on a ‘trajectory ethnography’ that combines in-depth interviews with sub-Saharan Africans, who are waiting in Morocco and Turkey to enter the EU, with a longitudinal strategy to follow some of these respondents over longer periods of time. With this longitudinal element I was in particular able to grasp expected steps and unexpected turns in individual migration trajectories. By discussing three main components (the motivation, facilitation and velocity) of journeys, this contribution puts into perspective the unidirectional and often frictionless metaphors of migration—as if migrants move like ‘flows’ and ‘waves’.
Highlights
In the last decade, images of sub-Saharan African migrants attempting to reach the European Union (EU) have been widely disseminated in European media
It is safe to state that sub-Saharan African migration towards the EU belongs to one of the most stigmatised forms of human movement of the 21st century
This contribution aims to provide better empirical insights into the journeys of sub-Saharan African migrants who are heading for the EU
Summary
Images of sub-Saharan African migrants attempting to reach the European Union (EU) have been widely disseminated in European media These images often focus on the most spectacular moments of migrants’ journeys: The moments when they jump from fences, arrive exhausted in unseaworthy boats at European islands, or hide in fully packed cargo trucks. Societies 2012, 2 belong to these images, regularly present this migration from the global South with the apocalyptical undertone of an ‘African exodus’ or ‘African invasion’ [2] In this context, it is safe to state that sub-Saharan African migration towards the EU belongs to one of the most stigmatised forms of human movement of the 21st century. By including the dynamics of migrants’ travel before and after the sensational border crossings that are caught by various media, it attempts to create a completer and in-depth picture of what it means to be ‘on the road’ in a geo-political context in which borders are closing
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
