Autonomy within entanglements: Illegalised migrants, the EU border regime, and the political economy of Nouadhibou, Mauritania

Ould Moctar, Hassan

Abstract

This article contributes to debates about the autonomy of migration (AoM) by ethnographically detailing the EU border regime's external operations in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. In showing how the EU border regime is entangled within the political economy and social relations of the city, it offers three contributions to AoM discussion. Firstly, it nuances and reframes the interplay between illegalised migrants and the border regime by showing that it can take multiple forms, some less antagonistic than others. Secondly, it contextualises this interplay by situating it within the historical trajectory and social relations of the political economy in which it unfolds. Thirdly, it highlights the relevance of the Global South context of this analysis to AoM debate, much of which has been concerned with European contexts and Europe-bound movement.

Citation

Ould Moctar, H. (2023). Autonomy within entanglements: Illegalised migrants, the EU border regime, and the political economy of Nouadhibou, Mauritania. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 41(1), 56-73. https://doi.org/10.1177/02637758221090250

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 9, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Mar 31, 2022
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2023
• Deposit Date: Apr 6, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 6, 2022
• Journal: Environment and Planning D: Society and Space
• Print ISSN: 0263-7758
• Electronic ISSN: 1472-3433
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 56-73
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02637758221090250
• Keywords: Mauritania, Nouadhibou, political economy, EU border regime, autonomy of migration
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02637758221090250