Geopolitics of Borders and Migrations in the European Union

Course focus and approach:
Through the cross-disciplinary lens of human geography and political science, this
course examines the relationship between border securitization practices and migration
dynamics in the European Union context.

Course description:
Through the scrutiny of current theoretical debates as well as of several case studies,
the course sheds light on the radical anti-immigration and securitization turn EU
border management has gone through over the last decades. Students will explore the
political impact of the contemporary process of physical and symbolic bordering of
Europe vis-à-vis human mobility. Lectures and class discussions will examine the
evolution of EU migration
and border management policies. Particular attention will be paid to ongoing processes
of externalization and privatization of border management, and its impact in the
changing geopolitical interaction between the EU and its neighborhood. The course has
a strong focus on the impact of securitization dynamics at the southern external EU
border and on the influence of border reinforcement strategies in identity shaping
processes. Moreover, the
course explores the societal implications of borders and immigration management on
people on the move and refugees, also looking at racial bias of the political
management of asylum right, comparing Syrian and Ukrainian refugee flows towards
EU space. In so doing, students will analyze the interaction of current EU border
policies with ongoing debates about European identity and the rise of both xenophobic
discourses and anti-immigration rhetoric across Europe.

Learning objectives:
At the end of this course students will be able to:
1. Interpret the importance of physical and administrative borders in shaping migration
policies and group identities
2. Identify the intergovernmental and supranational dynamics at play in the field of EU
migration policies as well as the external dimension of EU migration and border
policies
3. Interpret the global dimension of the political discourse on securitization vis-à-vis
migration flows