Borders and Asylum in a Globalized World

This lecture explores the theoretical and empirical developments in the study of borders, migration, and belonging in the global context. Borders are a ubiquitous phenomenon in a globalized world. Despite promises of globalization ushering in a highly mobile and borderless world, there has been a multiplication, evolution and changing dynamics in the various manifestations in the border and the impact on human mobility. Borders operate to demarcate territory and sovereign authority while also regulating the movement of people and capital through the reproduction and reinforcement of various forms of division. The border is a space where we can see the visible manifestations of state power, authority and the ability to exert control over different populations. Examining the border is a valuable opportunity to analyze the unequal access to individual mobility, often divided along gendered, classed and racialized lines. This lecture will explore the border in a wide range of contexts including, the emergence of the global bordering regime, humanitarianism, and the refugee and asylum seeking process.