Embedding Externalisation

This book offers an examination of how border control functions activated far from border lines fundamentally reshape the world we live in. Moving beyond the headlines of migration crises, it reveals that border control is no longer just about migration containment. Through compelling case studies from across the globe—from the Mediterranean and North Africa to South America and into the intimate space of the family—the contributors demonstrate how “externalisation” actively transforms places.

The chapters in this volume uncover how efforts to manage mobility create new economic realities, alter local politics, and even restructure family life and civil society. Far from being a simple imposition of power, these bordering practices are shaped in turn by the unique communities and histories they encounter. This book argues that borders do not just divide space but actively generate new social realities and power dynamics on the ground, with profound consequences for societies near and far.

This volume is essential reading for students, scholars, and researchers in migration studies, border studies, political geography, international relations, and sociology. It will also appeal to policymakers, human rights practitioners, and civil society organizations working on migration governance, refugee protection, and transnational mobility issues.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Geopolitics.