Border externalization has often been motivated by racism and xenophobia — namely, the desire to prevent certain migrants deemed “undesirable” from reaching the border and asking for asylum. The racism of the EU’s border regime has been abundantly evident in recent years, with borders opened wide for Ukrainian refugees while migrants from the Middle East and North Africa were being pushed back and detained, and African students in Ukraine were told to go to the end of the line. How are the racialized dynamics of the US and EU borders similar and different, and how do they intersect with gender and sexuality? What are the differential impacts of border externalization practices on vulnerable migrant populations such as children, women, queer, and trans migrants? This seminar will explore the complex dynamics of gender, race, sexuality, and their intersections at the modern, externalized border.
This will be a hybrid, workshop-style event with refreshments served for in-person participants. Please reserve a free ticket on our Eventbrite page, and indicate whether you will join in-person or remotely. The speakers’ papers will also be pre-circulated — upon registering for the seminar on Eventbrite, attendees will be sent a link and passcode to access paper drafts. A passcode will be sent to all registrants shortly before the start of the event, which will be required to enter. The webinar link is: https://bostonu.zoom.us/j/94962254070?pwd=NnZHeFVsNlJFQmwreDdRNHBEVGRSUT09.
Speakers:
Martha Balaguera Cuervo (University of Toronto) — “Trans-Refusals”
Sandra M. McEvoy (Boston University) — “On the Move and Queer: Forcibly Displaced and Ultra-Vulnerable”
Petra Molnar (Harvard University) — “‘We Are Here Because You Were There’: Techno-Racism and Exclusion at Digital Borders”