Unwriting Brexit? Bridging Fictions and Liminal Aesthetics Within the UK’s Hostile Environment

Abstract

The article considers the various frictions and fissures in contemporary European politics. Contrary to its historical genesis, this politics often aims at division rather than community, a development epitomized by Brexit. The creation, reinforcement, and protection of borders seem to be a core aim of this policy, which can be observed in EU foreign policy in the narrower sense, but also in the central framing narratives that the EU pursues in the context of border politics and migration in order to fortify the ‘fortress Europe’, as does the UK with its Hostile Environment policy. Contrary to the supposed populist success of such policies, which were clearly demonstrated by the Brexit referendum vote, there is also widespread skepticism towards such disintegrating governance.A vast body of literature, mostly so-called Brexlit, addresses the fractures created by Brexit but also the many pre-existing divisions that Brexit did not cause, but was a consequence of. Some of these works establish an antagonistic Leave or Remain dichotomy, perfectly understandable from the point of view of the losing side of the referendum, but perhaps not necessarily productive in terms of reducing the divisions in society or even generating compassion for the opposition. The article argues that there is, however, a body of literature that aims at the erasure of borders, that seeks to bridge the existing ruptures within society and to reconcile the divided camps. I would like to focus on two respective literary projects, the EFACIS Kaleidoscope series which features various writers and artists from Ireland and their respective views on Europe, and Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet and Companion Piece, five novels that negotiate contemporary UK politics post Brexit. While both projects perceptibly address contemporary borders and exclusions, they do not present them as inevitable. Rather, they offer alternative designs for overcoming the existing divisions by integrating them into their plots, but they also reflect this communal unity on the formal level of their works. In this respect, both projects seem particularly suited to create a welcoming climate of solidarity, in order to unwrite, if not Brexit itself, at least some of its consequences.