he Mediterranean Sea has become a watery graveyard, a neglected place of aborted dreams and mourning. Dangerous migration routes across the Mediterranean Sea have also become the only chance for vulnerable groups of people fleeing war and violence to reach a safe haven in Europe.
Editors' Note: Dr. de Campos and Raphael Lima created a 23-minute video as part of this research project, including interviews and analysis which delves into the problematic European approach to refugee migration across the Mediterranean. It's well worth the watch - find it here.
These people do not only have to face the natural forces at work at the high sea – from unpredictable winds to cold weather and tumultuous waters– but they also must face a fortress Europe marked by the continuing application of violent security procedures of containment. By daylight or in the depths of night, these people call for help as they risk their lives in overcrowded boats in distress. So far, the only ones that hear their calls for help are non-state actors, in particular the humanitarian organizations conducting civil search and rescue operations. This scenario of suffering, negligence, and solidarity in the Mediterranean Sea is, first and foremost, a compelling case for why a research project video needed to be produced.
The following video is the result of a research project exploring the roles and performances of four actors involved in the forced migration and mobility issues in the Mediterranean Sea: the border crossers (or asylum-seekers), European authorities, activist groups (or humanitarian organizations), and civil society. Comprising a set of interviews with four academics from the fields of political sciences and journalism, as well as one member of the Sea-Watch Organization (a non-profit NGO that conducts civil search and rescue operations at the Central Mediterranean Sea), the research project video is broadly divided into two main parts. The first part dives into the European border architecture in an attempt to comprehend how the Mediterranean Sea has become a place where human suffering prevails. The second part addresses the online and offline roles played by the Sea-Watch Organization in the process of contesting the European border architecture and how such roles could serve as tools for promoting critique and education.
The participants of the video come together to scrutinize a range of topics involving the migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea. They exchange views about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration flows, the meaning of borders in the formation of barriers, the promotion of national security narratives for the creation of hierarchies of mobility, the application of a security procedure of containment undertaken by Frontex called ‘push-back policy,’ the role of digital activism. They also discuss the importance of international journalism in terms of informing societies about what is happening in the Mediterranean Sea. But more than that, this project aims to help us move beyond the nexus mobility and humanitarian crisis.
This idea is defended by Prof. Dr. Antonio De Lauri in the second part of the video. For De Lauri, “if we continue to think of mobility and migration in terms of emergency and crisis, what we would produce is not an activism oriented towards political change and legal reforms.” This idea raises an important debate. Expressions of profound humanity can definitely be found in the practical work of NGOs and their digital efforts to attract public attention and awareness about the migration flows. But a more radical form of political change requires a large-scale transition from the logic of humanitarian emergency to the advancement of discourses about legal rights and responsibilities able to pressure European governments to provide safe passage for those in distress at the high sea.
The idea behind the video is to open up a debate about imminent possibilities for political change. People are still drowning at the high sea. What can we do about it? Their cries of distress must be heeded by all public spheres within European society.
This is a succinct overview of what the video is about. The video is a core part of a 6-month research project funded by the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) fellowship program. A special thanks to my friend and independent photojournalist, Raphael Lima, the man behind the camera who helped me to make this happen.
a global affairs media network
Reimagining EU Border Architecture to Save Lives on the Mediterranean
Life jackets previously used by refugees and migrants during their journey crossing in the Mediterranean. Photo via Pixabay.
April 4, 2022
Center for Advanced Internet Studies visiting fellow Lucien Vilhalva de Campos introduces a research video which analyzes European securitization and how it harms refugees fleeing to Europe across the Mediterranean - and what activists say needs to be done to help.
T
he Mediterranean Sea has become a watery graveyard, a neglected place of aborted dreams and mourning. Dangerous migration routes across the Mediterranean Sea have also become the only chance for vulnerable groups of people fleeing war and violence to reach a safe haven in Europe.
Editors' Note: Dr. de Campos and Raphael Lima created a 23-minute video as part of this research project, including interviews and analysis which delves into the problematic European approach to refugee migration across the Mediterranean. It's well worth the watch - find it here.
These people do not only have to face the natural forces at work at the high sea – from unpredictable winds to cold weather and tumultuous waters– but they also must face a fortress Europe marked by the continuing application of violent security procedures of containment. By daylight or in the depths of night, these people call for help as they risk their lives in overcrowded boats in distress. So far, the only ones that hear their calls for help are non-state actors, in particular the humanitarian organizations conducting civil search and rescue operations. This scenario of suffering, negligence, and solidarity in the Mediterranean Sea is, first and foremost, a compelling case for why a research project video needed to be produced.
The following video is the result of a research project exploring the roles and performances of four actors involved in the forced migration and mobility issues in the Mediterranean Sea: the border crossers (or asylum-seekers), European authorities, activist groups (or humanitarian organizations), and civil society. Comprising a set of interviews with four academics from the fields of political sciences and journalism, as well as one member of the Sea-Watch Organization (a non-profit NGO that conducts civil search and rescue operations at the Central Mediterranean Sea), the research project video is broadly divided into two main parts. The first part dives into the European border architecture in an attempt to comprehend how the Mediterranean Sea has become a place where human suffering prevails. The second part addresses the online and offline roles played by the Sea-Watch Organization in the process of contesting the European border architecture and how such roles could serve as tools for promoting critique and education.
The participants of the video come together to scrutinize a range of topics involving the migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea. They exchange views about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration flows, the meaning of borders in the formation of barriers, the promotion of national security narratives for the creation of hierarchies of mobility, the application of a security procedure of containment undertaken by Frontex called ‘push-back policy,’ the role of digital activism. They also discuss the importance of international journalism in terms of informing societies about what is happening in the Mediterranean Sea. But more than that, this project aims to help us move beyond the nexus mobility and humanitarian crisis.
This idea is defended by Prof. Dr. Antonio De Lauri in the second part of the video. For De Lauri, “if we continue to think of mobility and migration in terms of emergency and crisis, what we would produce is not an activism oriented towards political change and legal reforms.” This idea raises an important debate. Expressions of profound humanity can definitely be found in the practical work of NGOs and their digital efforts to attract public attention and awareness about the migration flows. But a more radical form of political change requires a large-scale transition from the logic of humanitarian emergency to the advancement of discourses about legal rights and responsibilities able to pressure European governments to provide safe passage for those in distress at the high sea.
The idea behind the video is to open up a debate about imminent possibilities for political change. People are still drowning at the high sea. What can we do about it? Their cries of distress must be heeded by all public spheres within European society.
This is a succinct overview of what the video is about. The video is a core part of a 6-month research project funded by the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) fellowship program. A special thanks to my friend and independent photojournalist, Raphael Lima, the man behind the camera who helped me to make this happen.
