Challenging Borders Conference

In the wake of the record influx of migrants to Europe in 2015 and the rise of anti-migrant populism, border practices have undergone dramatic transformation as EU states outsource border control to private companies and to African countries (effectively moving their frontiers into North Africa, the Sahel and Africa's Horn), as well as to Turkey and the Balkans. The saliency of biometrics as a dominant mode of securing identification has increased at the same time that humanitarianism is in retreat.

This workshop tracks new border policies at Europe's margins, as well as migrant counter-strategies. It also seeks to evaluate the future of Africa's scramble for Europe and explores policy options that move beyond the stark divide of open or closed borders.

Presenters: Achille Mbembe (keynote), Henrik Vigh, Aissatou Mbodj, Hans Lucht, Miriam Ticktin, Amade M'charek, Catherine Besteman, Michael Hardt, Ranji Khanna, Stephen Smith, Charlie Piot