Exile

Chronicle of the Border

Didier Fassin author Anne-Claire Defossez author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Published:25th Apr '25

Should be back in stock very soon

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Exile cover

In recent decades, the forced displacement of populations has fueled nationalism and xenophobia across the world, arousing fear and hostility. Policies have been implemented to deter migrants, crack down on humanitarian workers and externalize border monitoring in remote territories. Men, women and children who flee political violence, religious persecution or poverty in their country and set off on journeys often lasting years may find themselves on dangerous routes where they face police brutality, gang rackets, confinement camps, barbed-wire fences, the rigors of the desert and the perils of the sea. Many lose their lives.

But what do we really know about the experience of these people, the hazards they encounter, repression they endure, and the assistance they receive? This is what Didier Fassin and Anne-Claire Defossez set out to uncover through the research they conducted at the border between Italy and France, in a region of the Alps that has become, since the mid-2010s, a privileged site of passage for people arriving in Europe from Afghanistan, Iran, the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. Over a period of five years, they collected their poignant stories, participated in the activities of a shelter, took part in mountain rescue operations, interviewed politicians, policy makers and law enforcement officers. Their investigation reveals the ineffectiveness of the militarization of the border and the dismay of the police who are aware of the futility of their mission; it attests to the solidarity and commitment of the volunteers; and it explores the form of life of exiles, which has become a defining feature of our time.

This timely and well-researched book will be of great value to students and scholars in sociology, anthropology, politics and geography, and to anyone interested in migration and refugees today.

"Border enforcement against migrants is pointless theater with horrifying consequences. The protagonists—exiles, enforcers, and activists—perform complicated moves across the Italy-France boundary stage. This moment of theater deftly narrated, we come away from Exile with a deeper, more humane understanding of contemporary migration."
Josiah Heyman, University of Texas at El Paso

"Through the lens of an Alpine pass between Italy and France, Exile discloses the global orders of violence that compel movement, the ordeals and solidarities of journeys, and the contest between racialized exclusions and human fraternity. Fassin and Defossez offer an ethical analysis of the borderwork of those upholding, evading, and undoing the politics of fear and, worse, of indifference. Essential reading."
David Owen, University of Southampton

"Didier Fassin and Anne-Claire Defossez have written a powerful and nuanced analysis of contemporary border politics in Europe... the book is written beautifully, and... It provides a well-researched overview of border politics at the examined site and beyond it. Exile is thus a valuable resource to all those interested in critical border studies and networks of actors at and around contemporary borders."
Ethnic and Racial Studies

"Offers not only an excellent analysis of the spectacle at the Franco-Italian border, but also a profound engagement with exile, the realities of people navigating contemporary migration regimes. The work is a crucial resource for understanding the complexity of borders, migration, and solidarity, as it illuminates systemic mechanisms and power relations with nuance and urgency."
ActaSociologica

"Rich, detailed descriptions of exiles' experi­ences, seamlessly connecting these personal narratives to broader historical and policy contexts. This approach not only widens the book's appeal but also deepens our understanding of the complex wheels set in motion by border policies."
American Association of Geographers Review of Books

ISBN: 9781509568581

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 33mm

Weight: 612g

340 pages