Migration

Reading List: The Meanings, Consequences and Geopolitics of Deportation

In recent debates, deportations have become such a widely accepted political ambition that there is little room to question the necessity of a supposedly more “efficient” deportation apparatus. Yet, many studies have shown for a long time how challenging the implementation of deportations are, that they are embedded in complex geopolitical considerations, and that deportations are often problematic from a (human) rights perspective. Last, but not least, they have devastating impact on the lives of deported people. We compiled this list and introduction in order to improve the knowledge of such critical aspects in public debates. It is addressed to researchers and students, journalists and the wider interested public.

The list was compiled in March 2024 by

Judith Altrogge (judith.altrogge [at] uni-osnabrueck.de)
Leonie Jegen (l.f.jegen [at] uva.nl)
Laura Lambert (laura.lambert [at] leuphana.de)
Franzisca Zanker (franzisca.zanker [at] abi.uni-freiburg.de)

This working paper is a systematic literature review of the term “local turn” in the field of human migration.

It reviews 36 journal articles to answer the following questions: what are the subjects of the local turn? What is the stimulus behind the local turn? And what are its characteristics?

The study analyses the literature by conducting a thematic analysis, both inductively and deductively. After presenting a manifest account of the characteristics of the local turn in migration, the paper discusses the validity and the consequences of using such a term. Instead of a single local turn, the paper finds that there is a multiplicity of local turns in migration. Moreover, the paper argues that the emergence and the development of this term take place almost exclusively within Europe and should therefore be perceived accordingly.

The ABI Working Paper is available here as a PDF.

Reading list about the meanings, consequences and geopolitics of deportation

Reading List: The Meanings, Consequences and Geopolitics of Deportation

ABI Working Paper: The Local Turns in the Field of Migration