Topic outline

  • Mediterranean borders under a comparative perspective


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    • MIGRIMAGE project (ERAMUS+KA203) has developed an online course where you can learn about the different migratory realities of the borders of southern Europe, both in the south of Spain, including the land borders of Ceuta and Melilla, and in the south of Italy and the island of Lesbos in Greece.

      The aim of this MOOC is to be an integrated educational tool in relation to the other two training tools that the MIGRIMAGE project has set in motion: the master’s degree Mediterranean Border and Communication Studies and the webdoc Escape Europe. Also, this MOOC function as an autonomous training tool, aimed at all those people who want to learn about the main context items of the southern European border.

      The contents of this MOOC aim to show the connections between three border spaces along the Mediterranean Sea. The interrelationship is important because border policies move and mutate from one space to another over time. Connecting these spaces will provide students with an in-depth insight into both the general border context and its specific particularities.

      For the development of the proposed contents, we have made presentations on different border issues based on travelling concepts. These concepts are used to interrelate the spaces as a common ground, decentralizing the understanding of the borders to a level of abstraction greater than its specific agents or events.

      Finally, we do not only want to include issues related to border management, industry, externalization, or the general lack of human rights. Moreover, we wanted to show common spaces of migrant autonomy and civil society organization in support of the freedom of movement. We share initiatives that are and can be implemented beyond the borders, with the aim of building a network for learning and exchange. By assembling these geographies of disputes and resistances, a space is created in which to imagine the common, a community that problematizes its own boundaries, and which becomes duly inoperative.

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  • In Module 1 INTRODUCTION: Context and Historical Perspective, the learner will acquire general geopolitical knowledge that is linked to the construction of borders. First of all, the slowing down of the current population is seen as an aspect linked to colonialism on a transnational level. Subsequently, we will focus on the bilateral relationship between Spain and Morocco, on those tensions in relation to the territories that also from a colonial period mark today the events around the land border of Spain and the European Union with Africanícele, through the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Finally, we will focus on the routes from Africa to Italy, observed from a vision that defends human mobility.

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    • Capsule 1. International geopolitics, local history, migration routers

      In this first capsule we will present a short geopolitical representation of the impact of colonialism in conflicts and wars all around the world and its influence on actual people displacement. We will use maps of ‘monde diplomatique’, interactive maps of different geopolitical sites, books of narratives (invisible cities research group) and bibliography (Anzaldua, etc). Followingly, we will focus on the local history of Lesvos island in relation to the international context and refugees movement.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a powerpoint presentation that consists of a short geopolitical representation of the impact of colonialism on actual people displacement and the role of social movements and human rights in the cities. Within the presentation, you can find maps of ‘monde diplomatique’, interactive maps of different geopolitical sites, books of narratives (invisible cities research group) and various other representations and visual material.

      In the textual part you will find the main points highlighted in the powerpoint presentation together with the corresponding Bibliography. The text is supporting the oral part of the powerpoint.

    • Capsule 2. Border disputes between Spain and Morocco

      In the second capsule we will analice the special status of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which belong to the Spanish government but are located entirely on Moroccan territory. To analyse the depth of this relationship, we will start from a crisis that occurred in Ceuta on 17 May 2021, when thousands of people tried to cross the land and sea borders from Morocco to the city of Ceuta.

      In the audiovisual section we will find an interview with Paloma Fernandez Coleto, conducted on the first anniversary of what happened in May 2021. Paloma is direct from the local newspaper El Foro de Ceuta, and has investigated, together with her team of journalists, the events that took place in May 2021. Paloma offers us an analytical view of the situation prior to this massive flux and its immediate consequences.

      As a complementary element, we offer a text by James Ker-Lindsay that delves into the colonial past of the border dispute between Spain and Morocco, through the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Sahara territory from the colonial period to the present, giving the event of 17 May 2021 a historical overview.

    • Capsule 3. Main routes to Italy, migration history, population

      In the third capsule we will analyze the three main migratory routes to Italy: Libya, Tunisia, Turkey. What are the main connection points from which departures take place. What are the means of transport used. How many people land on the Italian coasts each year and what are their demographic characteristics. How many migrants are there intercepted and brought back by the Libyan coast guard. How many humans die or are lost at sea each year trying to reach Fortress Europe.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast about migration as a founding feature of the human species. Why has human beings moved since they existed? Some data about arrivals to Fortress Europe.

       
       

  • In module 2 INSULARIZATION:  Construction of space-borders, “Hot Spots”, we will analyse how different centres have been set up in southern European countries in order to deprive migrants arriving on their shores of freedom of movement.

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    • Capsule 1. ‘Panopticon’ & the construction of the hotspot

      In this first capsule you can learn about the concepts of ‘panopticon’ (Foucault), ‘necropolitics’ (Mbembe), the ‘permanent state of exception’ (Agamben) and the ‘territorial stigmatization’ (Wacquant). In addition, you can have the opportunity to approach the concept, the history and the process of construction of hotspots in the world, Europe and Lesvos island together with their social significance and spatial process of exclusion and criminalisation.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a powerpoint presentation highlighting some basic points of the concepts of ‘panopticon’ (Foucault), ‘necropolitics’ (Mbembe), the ‘permanent state of exception’ (Agamben) and the ‘territorial stigmatization’ (Wacquant) as they are connected to the process of construction of hotspots.

      In the textual part you can find a more detailed description of this connection; the text as well as the proposals for further reading are supporting the link between theory and the practice of the creation of the hotspots together with their social significance and spatial process of exclusion and criminalisation. The text was produced by Dr. Naya Tselepi, especially for the needs of the MOOC.

    • Capsule 2. Ceuta and Melilla, laboratories for the externalization european border policies

      In this second capsule you will learn how the cities of Ceuta and Melilla have been built as territories marked by exception, both in relation to Spain and to the European Union, as they are not included in the Schengen area. This exceptional status is designed to prevent migrants who enter these territories from having difficulties in travelling to the mainland or to other European countries.

      In the written part, it is discussed when and why the fences of Ceuta and Melilla were installed, as well as the construction of the CETIS (Temporary Stay Centre for Migrants). In addition, it shows in which aspects these cities tried to isolate themselves from the rest of the European continent, being exceptional both the asylum application processes and the transfers to the peninsula of the residents in the CETI.

      In the audiovisual part you will find an interview with Sani Ladan, activist, migration specialist and human rights defender of Cameroonian origin. This interview was carried out by the No Borders collective in Granada in the radio programme De Raíz. Sani recounts his experience in the CETI in Ceuta and her transfer to the CIE on the peninsula.

    • Capsule 3. Borders at sea

      The last capsule analyses the first reception of migrants in the main Italian hotspots. The first reception takes place in collective centres where migrants who have just arrived in Italy are identified and can start, or not, the asylum application procedure. Here they receive initial medical care, undergo health checks, are identified and photo-marked and can apply for international protection. Five years after the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights, the effective respect of rights in reception centres in Italy is still not guaranteed, and has been re-examined in December 2021.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast in which we reflect about the thin and merciless line that distinguishes the right to asylum and protection from illegal clandestinity.

  • In module 3 CIRCULARITY: Externalization of the border and deportation agreements we show how the border is constructed in a circular way, through practices that are not only limited to the construction of fences in border areas of Europe, but also through the externalization of a series of practices based on expulsion towards the south

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    • Capsule 1. Externalisation of borders

      In this first capsule we will discuss the various forms of extension of border and migration controls beyond the borders of Greece as well as on the border island of Lesvos, called ‘externalization of the border’. The 2016 EU-Turkey deal to stop people routing from Turkey to the Greek islands; FRONTEX operations on the sea borders; the hotspot of Moria; the forcible deportations etc. will be of our interest. Special attention will be given to the ‘new’ 2020 EU migration and asylum pact that intends to roll out the model that has been tested in Lesvos and other Greek ‘hotspot’ islands, across Europe’s external borders.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast with Marion Buchelet, lawyer in the Legal Centre of Mytilene who is providing some important information on the so-called ‘externalization of the border’ as taking place on the border island of Lesvos, Greece, giving emphasis to the forcible deportations taking place currently.

      The textual part is supporting the audiovisual podcast providing more details on the various forms of extension of border and migration controls beyond the borders of Greece as well as on the border island of Lesvos. The text was produced by Marion Buchelet, Legal Centre for the special needs of the MOOC.

       

       

    • Capsule 2. Externalization of european borders in Morocco

      In this second capsule we will discuss in which ways violence to prevent the freedom of movement is externalized to the Moroccan side of the border. Around the fences of Ceuta and Melilla, in the cities of Tangier, Tetouan and Nador, there are camps of migrants trying to cross the land borders or the Mediterranean Sea towards European territory. These people are subjected to direct violence by the Moroccan police and military. Every day, camps are burnt down and migrants are deported to the south of the country. In these raids many people are imprisoned, injured or directly killed. Let us not forget that this is made possible by European funding, which provides Morocco with arms and surveillance equipment to try to deter people from entering Spanish territory. Why else would Morocco guard the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, which it considers occupied territories?

      In the textual part, we will summarise different reports created by the GADEM association in 2018, in which different externalisation practices such as arrests for racial profiling, forced displacements to the south of Morocco and deportations to the country of origin are collected through testimonies.

      In the audiovisual part, a video created by the association La Barraca Transfronteriza presents the determination of sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco in transit to Europe to exercise their freedom of movement.

    • Capsule 3. Libya, status of migrants, deportation arrangements

      In the last capsule you will find an analysis of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of development, thefight against illegal immigration, human trafficking, smuggling and the strengthening of border security between the State of Libya and the Italian Republic. What are the bullet points of this complex strategy of externalization of borders pursued both by italian government and by the European Union, overshadowing respect for fundamental rights. What happens to migrants in Libya since this state does not adhere to the Refugee Convention?

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast about the reasons why Libya is not a safe haven, with an analysis of the many obscure points in the agreement between Italy and Libya.  

       

       

  • In module 4 WAITING: Detention centres, we will learn how borders are also made of time, of waiting, and of circular landscapes, this is manifested either in the creation of detention centers as well as in processes of expulsion.

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    • Capsule 1. A history of a camp: from Moria to the new Multi Purpose Reception and Identification Center

      A history of a camp: from Moria to the new multi purpose reception and identification center (MPRIC)

      In this first capsule we will shed light on the transformations of the camps on Lesvos island; starting from Pagani Detention Center (2009) to the hotspot of Moria, Kara Tepe and ‘Mavrovouni’ temporal camp. Special attention will be given to the new Multi Purpose Reception and Identification Center (MPRIC) that is set to be constructed in Lesvos in 2022 in a remote and forest fire danger zone of the island. Parallel to these, we will go through the local and internationalist solidarity and resistance from below to all these measures.

      In the audiovisual part you will find the youtube video ‘People in the dumps. A “joint pilot” on Lesvos, a “new start on migration for the EU” by Lesvos Solidarity. The video is calling on the Commission to abandon the Fortress Europe deplorable tactics and to work on inclusive policies, with respect to human rights, while also effectively tackling the root causes of migration.

      The textual part is under the title ‘Socio-spatial segregation and ghettoization of refugees. The fatal triangle of urban precariousness’ from Christy Petropoulou, Associated Professor in the Department of Geography, University of the Aegean. Together with the corresponding Bibliography and webography, they are all shedding more light on the issue.

    • Capsule 2. Fence-side deportations

      In this second capsule we will focus on two types of expulsions specific to the contexts of Ceuta and Melilla, namely summary expulsions -known as "devoluciones en caliente"- and collective expulsions. These expulsions are carried out immediately after the fence jumps.

      In the textual part we elaborate an account of these two types of expulsions carried out in Ceuta in 2018. In the audiovisual part we interview Isabel Valriveras Acevedo, lawyer and Dean of the Ceuta Bar Association, who addresses this type of expulsions from the perspective of the legislation in Spain.

    • Capsule 3. Retention centres for repatriation

      In the last capsule you will find an analysis of the evolution of the laws governing the many Retention Centers for Repatriation in Italy. Foreigners arriving illegally in Italy who do not apply for international protection or do not meet the requirements are detained in the Retention Centers for Repatriation (CPR), pursuant to Article 14 of Legislative Decree 286/1998, established to allow “execution of the expulsion” order by the police. From June 2019 to May 2021 in the CPR, six foreign citizens lost their lives while serving an administrative detention measure. In December 2021, two other migrants died in the Italian CPRs.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast starting from two keywords: “emergency” and “security”. How the Italian migration policy (and its institutional communication) has changed over the years.


  • In module 5 INDUSTRY: Irregularity provides cheap labour, we analyze how the way of life of the global north produces a series of ecological, social and economic crises in the global south. In order to isolate the global north from these consequences, fortress capitalism is created (walls, unequal mobility, immigration laws, visas, etc.). The border functions as an institution of social discrimination to divide the unequal global distribution of wealth and poverty between different regions of the world.

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    • Capsule 1. Local economies in Lesvos & migration

      In this first capsule we will explore the various aspects of local communities, the multitude of actors and positions in relation to the new migrant and refugee arrivals. Moreover, we will see documentaries of different situations in different times: solidarity or no (aggressions). We will also explore how local economies are related to migration, gender, religions, racisms, ecological issues etc. Last but not least, we will make an introduction about local social movements and subversion initiatives.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a video with Nikos Xypolytas, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of the Aegean providing important information on the issue.

      The textual part consists of two parts: 1. a text under the title ‘A little of history: Mytilene, a traditional passage of migrations with impacts in contested habitus’ from Christy Petropoulou, Associated Professor in the Department of Geography, University of the Aegean. The second part is an article under the title ‘The Covid-19 pandemic as a possibilities frame for social resistances against the systemic transformation of power relations. The case of Greece’ from Michalis Psimitis, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of the Aegean. Together with the corresponding Bibliography and webography they all are shedding more light on the issue.


    • Capsule 2. "Carrier" Women

      In this second capsule we will learn how Ceuta's geopolitical situation combined with socio-structural factors such as the separation of two countries, two continents with different majority religions and two unequal economic zones, make this territory an example of what fortress capitalism means. We will focus on the case of what in Spain was called atypical trade, which consisted of the smuggling of goods from the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla to the northern regions of Morocco. This activity was permitted by the authorities and security forces of both countries and gave rise to the figure of the carrier women. The carrier women are women from the north of Morocco who crossed the border daily carrying goods until the border was closed due to the pandemic in 2020.

      In the textual part we will make an introduction of these two realities, both the existence of atypical trade or smuggling and the work carried out by cross-border women. In the audiovisual part we interview Cristina Funentes Lara, professor at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid and with a PhD in Migration Studies, both as an activist and as an academic, has been devoted by the study of the border, specifically the case of the woman carriers in Ceuta, Spain.

    • Capsule 3. Agormafie and caporalato

      In the last capsule you will find an analysis of the widespread phenomenon of illegal hiring, also known as “caporalato”. The phenomenon of caporalato represents a form of labor exploitation that affects various production sectors, but which manifests itself with particular force and pervasiveness in the sector of agriculture. Exploitation takes the form of illegal forms of intermediation, recruitment and organization of manpower. For the same work, migrants receive wages that are around 40% lower than the minimum Italian wage agreed between the social partners. Often they also work a greater number of hours. The victims of labor exploitation are African and Asian migrants and, in some cases, citizens of the European Union (especially Bulgarians and Romanians) and citizens of non-EU countries in Eastern Europe (including Albanians).

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast about the labor integration of migrants in Italy: the exploitation of the organized crime and bottom-up projects such as social agriculture.


  • In module 6 MOTION IN PROGRESS: Migrant childhood, we want to get closer to the different border realities for migrant childhood on their way to Europe, understanding their motivations for traveling, what options they do or do not find on their way, in terms of protection of their rights as children, and how they are perceived by the societies they transit through.

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    • Capsule 1. Migrant Children & Education

      In this first capsule we will see the scolarisation (formal) and non-formal educational activities of migrant children. The case of migrant minors residing inside the RIC Kara Tepe, Lesvos.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a video with Dionysis Pavlou, the Refugee Education Coordinator in Lesvos providing important information on the education of migrant children on the island.

      In the textual part you can find the Greek Refugee Education Coordinators’ open letter of concern, regarding the rapid developments in the refugee issue, in relation to the education of refugee-children.

    • Capsule 2. Harraga

      Harraga is the Moroccan and Algerian dialect word for those traveling without documents. It derives from the root of the Arabic word haraqa, which means to burn. In short: instead of saying "I have made a clandestine journey", in Arabic one says "I have burnt the border". In this second capsule we will learn the context of minors from northern Morocco who transit the city of Ceuta on their way to the European continent.

      The text provides an overview of the child protection services in the city of Ceuta, before the pandemic, during the pandemic and after the entry of thousands of people in May 2021.

      In the audiovisual part we interviewed Laura Ganado, from the Maakum association. Maakum is a social group that works independently and voluntarily to defend and promote the human rights of young migrants and unaccompanied foreign minors, most of whom are living on the streets of the city of Ceuta.

    • Capsule 3. Unaccopained foreign minors

      In the last capsule we talk about UASCs. Until recently, unaccompanied foreign minors who arrived came mainly from Albania and Central African countries; now about a quarter of all UASCs come from Bangladesh. The number of unaccompanied minors arriving from Tunisia and Egypt is also significant. About a quarter of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors who arrive in Italy “disappear” trying to flee to other countries. Over the last three years, the number of unaccompanied foreign minors arriving in Italy has grown from 1680 in 2019 to 9359 in 2021.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast in which we examine why UASCs leave to… leave again: why Italy is only a crossing point in the so-called migrant route to the Fortress Europe?

  • In module 7 NEW COMMONS Civil society initiatives, we will collect some of the everyday practices and actions that are encountered, shared and created collectively in border contexts. People with diverse backgrounds, routes, histories and identities - local and migrant - come together, discover new ways of communicating, connecting and sharing, thus creating "new communities". It is in the everyday (re)production of life, in the common actions and, above all, in the relationships that are created within these processes, that the creation of "the common" resides.

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    • Capsule 1. New commons & communities of solidarity in Lesvos: The example of Pikpa Camp

      In this first capsule you can read about the example of Pikpa camp from its creation to its eviction after 8 years of operation. Pikpa camp was an independent, open refugee camp in Mytilene, Lesvos. A community-based space built on the principles of solidarity, empowerment and active participation. On 30th of October 2020, Pikpa was evicted and its residents were illegally moved by police forces to the municipal camp of (old) Kara Tepe. From 2012 to 2020, more than 30,000 individuals have found shelter in Pikpa camp.

      In the audiovisual part you will find two pieces: 1. an interview of Efi Latsoudi, Coordinator of the ex-PIKPA Refugee Camp, human rights activist awarded with the 2016 Nansen Award and 2. a you tube video ‘Lesvos PIKPA, 8 years of Solidarity’ which shows how for 8 years PIKPA has provided safety and solidarity to more than 30.000 people in transit, that have been through its warm and colorful space. The textual part is providing information for the Lesvos Pikpa camp as well and its eviction on September 2020.


      Lesvos PIKPA, 8 years of Solidarity

    • Capsule 2. Tarajal: movement for dignity

      In this second capsule we will highlight the Marches for Dignity organized by civil society every February from 2014 to the present day. These marches seek to denounce deaths at the borders, demand justice and reparation for the victims and promote the memory of the tragedy that occurred at the Tarajal border crossing, where on 6 February 2014, at least 16 people died trying to reach the shore.

      The text contains a description of these events as well as one of the manifestos on the denunciations and demands that are made in these marches, in which hundreds of collectives from all over the peninsula participate every year.

      In the audiovisual part we will interview Paula Domingo, from the association Elín, organizers of the March, who tells us about the trajectory of this association with 23 years of existence in the support offered to migrants and refugees arriving in Ceuta. Elín is an "oasis of freedom" dedicated to building a community based on giving and receiving from a relationship of equality, with the people who are part of it.

    • Capsule 3. The calcio senza confini and no racism cup experience.

      There are many initiatives taking place in the Salento area aimed at the interaction between the local population and migrants: Festival Sabir, Alba dei Popoli, Kascignana Music Fest, University Corridors for Refugees-UniSalento, etc. Among these, we will mention the No Racism Cup and Calcio Senza Confini experiences: how sport can be an instrument of cultural mediation between different social realities present in the territory, such as migrant communities, cultural associations and citizens.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast in which we tell the Calcio Senza Confini and No Racism Cup experiences.

  • In module 8 AUTONOMY. Initiatives of migrant collectives we understand migration as a social movement, that is, from an autonomous perspective where migrants are not victims of migration management policies, but people with agency. In this sense, the great entities of mobility control such as the nation-state or Fortress Europe are not assumed and unquestionable realities. And migrant practices, demands and desires exceed the 'objective' or 'sociological' criteria that try to explain human mobility flows. This 'excess' means that migration cannot be reduced to 'laws' of supply and demand or state policies (Mezzadra 2011).

    The autonomy of migrations does not have individual migrants as a starting point, but the migratory movement as a social process and as a creative force within the structures of mobility control. Migrants' struggles emerge against these devices, and this is the perspective that we will address in this module through different examples in the three southern Mediterranean borders.

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    • Capsule 1. Forms of resistances

      In this first capsule we will explore the local history of autonomies (No-Border, Contested Borderscape, anti fascist initiatives and collectivities) as well as the autonomy of migration; autonomous forms of resistances; cultural manifestations; autonomous schools and struggles inside and outside the hotspot of Lesvos. We will also focus on artistic forms of manifestation and resistance and we will get to know some local and migrant artists, musicians, dancers and theater creators.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a video with Rouddy Kimpioka, member of the ‘RAD Music International’, an alternative music group consisted by migrants and performing in Lesvos, https://www.facebook.com/RadMusicIntenational/

      The textual part consists of multiple parts: the first one is under the title ‘A little of history: Mytilene, a traditional passage of migrations with impacts in contested habitus’ from Christy Petropoulou, Associated Professor in the Department of Geography, University of the Aegean. The rest are deriving from the From Lesvos Migration Atlas, https://lesvosatlas.net and are covering various topics on the issue of autonomy of migration: ‘#All women against moria’; ‘Solidarity, Anti-fascist struggles and Covid-19’; ‘Invisible Women’ by Violeta Dimitrakopoulou and Naya Tselepi. Together with the corresponding Bibliography and webography they all are shedding more light on the issue.

    • Capsule 2. Cross-border workers collective

      In this second capsule our research will focus on the situation of cross-border workers trapped in Ceuta since the closure of land borders in March 2020. The collective of cross-border workers demands the rights of the workers whose situation is intolerable: some have been working daily in Ceuta for up to 20 years, without having a work and residence permit, and after the closure of the border they have not been able to leave the autonomous city or see their families.

      In the audio-visual part we interview Rachida Jraifi, spokesperson of the collective of cross-border workers trapped in Ceuta, who introduces us to the different dimensions (labor, social and psychological) that this situation has generated among the members of the collective, as well as their specific demands.

    • Capsule 3. Autonomy, initiatives of migrant collectives

      In the last capsule we will cite and analyze by way of example the experience of one of the many self-organized associations of migrants in the Salento area: Teranga AIP, a Senegalese Association of Lecce, through the direct word of Ablaye Seye. In the current “migration crisis” refugees and migrants are generally subjects taken by others (agencies, media, etc.) but they never really choose the image or story they want to be transmitted. Like self-organization, self-narration is also very important today. Because interaction is better than integration.

      In the audiovisual part you will find a podcast with a part of the interview to Ablaye Seye taken by Katia Lotteria (the recording voice is of Luca Brindisino because Seye was in Senegal in that period).