No Borders Special Issue

Refuge, Canada’s Periodical on Refugees
No Borders: A Practical Response to State Controls
on People’s Migration

Guest Editors:
Bridget Anderson (Oxford University), Nandita Sharma (University of Hawai'i) 
& Cynthia Wright (York University)

As nation states across the world enact ever-more restrictive immigration policies, there exists, simultaneously, a large and growing international movement of people. This paradox has led to a growing recognition of the ideological character of border controls: what is restricted is not migration per se but the rights and protections available to those who move across and into nationalized spaces. Such a situation calls into question the purposes served by the entire array of contemporary migration controls - the totality of which has made many migrants more vulnerable and their lives and livelihoods more precarious. One important and under-examined response to this situation is the emergence of calls for No Borders, appeals made on the basis of inter-related ethical, political, social and economic grounds. An explicit challenge to states’ claimed right to control people’s mobility, these appeals signal a new sort of liberatory project, one with new ideas of society and aimed at creating new social actors not identified with nationalist projects (projects deeply racialized, gendered, classed, and sexualized). As a practical, political project develops against borders, its relevance to other political projects grows, often challenging them in profound ways. There is a mounting need, therefore, to open an intellectual and political environment in which arguments for No Borders are further debated. To do so, Refuge invites submissions on: the historical context for the emergence of No Border politics; critical examinations of specific or comparative No Borders/Open Borders arguments, projects and movements; the relationship of No Borders to other ideas and movements and; how arguments for No Borders take up issues of: colonization, identity and ‘belonging’, political community, labour organizing, and processes of capitalist globalization. Contributions must be received by May 15th 2009.

As always, Refuge is willing to consider submissions outside the scope of this particular theme which relate to forced migration and refugees. Refuge also encourages submissions relating to, critical of or in dialogue with material previously published in Refuge. Submissions may take a variety of forms. Papers, not exceeding 30 pages or 7500 words, should be typed, double-spaced and referenced using Chicago Manual of Style endnotes (see style sheet for details.) Shorter papers on issues related to forced migration, photography (black and white), book reviews and case comments are also welcome. A brief abstract (100-150 words) and a two sentence institutional identification of the author must be provided. All submissions must be word processed and sent by email attachment. Nous acceptons aussi des articles en français.  Le style doit être conforme aux normes exigées pour les articles rédigés en anglais.

For further information, please contact:
Sharryn J. Aiken, Editor-in-Chief, Faculty of Law, Queen’s University
c/o Centre for Refugee Studies, Suite 325, York Lanes, York University
4700 Keele Street, North York, Ontario, Canada  M3J 1P3; refuge@yorku.ca
http://www.yorku.ca/refuge.