Migration Borders Freedom [Paperback]

International borders have become deadly barriers of a proportion rivaled only by war or natural disaster. Yet despite the damage created by borders, most people cant  or dont want to  imagine a world without them. What alternatives do we have to prevent the deadly results of contemporary borders?

In todays world, national citizenship determines a persons ability to migrate across borders. Migration Borders Freedomquestions that premise. Recognizing the magnitude of deaths occurring at contemporary borders worldwide, the book problematizes the concept of the border and develops arguments for open borders and a world without borders. It explores alternative possibilities, ranging from the practical to the utopian, that link migration with ideas of community, citizenship, and belonging. The author calls into question the conventional political imagination that assumes migration and citizenship to be responsibilities of nation states, rather than cities. While the book draws on the theoretical work of thinkers such as Ernst Bloch, David Harvey, and Henry Lefebvre, it also presents international empirical examples of policies and practices on migration and claims of belonging. In this way, the book equips the reader with the practical and conceptual tools for political action, activist practice, and scholarly engagement to achieve greater justice for people who are on the move.

1. Introduction. Part I: Diagnosis. 2. Borders in Perspective. 3. Access Denied! 4. From Utopia to Possibilia. Part II: Solutions. 5. Mobility and Domicile. 6. Sanctuary City. 7. Right to the Future. 8. Conclusion. Index

Freedom, however, is in the realm of possiblia (I gladly adopt this term) and thus in the realm of the not-yet-thinkable and of practice. It is good that Bauder does not go too far here. The result is a truly good book on open borders and contingent possibilities. It would l|