Grenzen sind soziale Tatsachen, die sich räumlich manifestieren – etwa wenn Schmuggler und Grenzschützer an Grenzübergängen aufeinandertreffen und in ritualisierter Form Bedingungen und Möglichkeiten des Grenzübertritts aushandeln. Das Grenzgeschehen wird in diesem Beitrag in soziologisch-ethnologischer Perspektive am Beispiel des Kaliningrader Grenzgebiets betrachtet.

Diss. Jur. Univ. Basel, 2009. - Ref.: Markus Schefer. / Ed. commerciale de la thèse de Basel, 2009. La couv. de l'ex. de thèse porte: Unverkäufliches Pflichtexemplar. Bibliogr.

Diss. Jur. Univ. Basel, 2009. - Ref.: Markus Schefer.

In this chapter, we draw empirical and theoretical conclusions based on the various analyses contained in this volume that focus on the European and U.S. migration regimes. We conclude that immigration policies have a multitude of unintended effects which affect both migrants and governments in the countries of origin, transit, and arrival. This chapter begins with an overview of the interest policies inside and outside the ‘defended’ territories. In the U.S. a lucrative internal market of border control has emerged, whereas the EU’s externalized border control includes the neighboring countries. The second part describes the unintended effects arising due to inconsistent general policies of the countries of arrival and origin, which often contradict the official immigration policies. Following this, the limited effect of border control measures on immigrants and their journeys are discussed. In the fourth section we explore in more detail the unintended effects in the form of new areas of cooperation, including new forms of self-organization, local interest groups, and sanctuary movements. The final section summarizes the various unintended effects and offers recommendations for decision makers in the field of migration policy.

Both the interests of nation states to manage migration and the behavior of migrants during their individual journeys have mutually reinforcing effects on the design and functioning of contemporary migration regimes. This assumption has motivated the interdisciplinary approach of this volume. The aim is to understand how immigration policies affect migrants’ journeys and vice versa. We want to find out whether or not the assumptions that lead to the design of immigration policies reflect reality. Does border control prevent irregular immigration? And what is the role of the various actors, including the countries of origin, transit, and arrival, and the migrants themselves? In order to answer these questions, we bring together insights from political science and ethnographic field work—two disciplines which have so far debated their insights mainly within separate research frameworks. The articles take into account the interests of the migrants’ countries of origin, transit and arrival, as well as the motives and strategies of the migrants themselves. The resulting findings are relevant to both policy makers and scientific experts, but also to anyone interested in governing migration.

In this chapter, we draw empirical and theoretical conclusions based on the various analyses contained in this volume that focus on the European and U.S. migration regimes. We conclude that immigration policies have a multitude of unintended effects which affect both migrants and governments in the countries of origin, transit, and arrival. This chapter begins with an overview of the interest policies inside and outside the ‘defended’ territories. In the U.S. a lucrative internal market of border control has emerged, whereas the EU’s externalized border control includes the neighboring countries. The second part describes the unintended effects arising due to inconsistent general policies of the countries of arrival and origin, which often contradict the official immigration policies. Following this, the limited effect of border control measures on immigrants and their journeys are discussed. In the fourth section we explore in more detail the unintended effects in the form of new areas of cooperation, including new forms of self-organization, local interest groups, and sanctuary movements. The final section summarizes the various unintended effects and offers recommendations for decision makers in the field of migration policy.

Both the interests of nation states to manage migration and the behavior of migrants during their individual journeys have mutually reinforcing effects on the design and functioning of contemporary migration regimes. This assumption has motivated the interdisciplinary approach of this volume. The aim is to understand how immigration policies affect migrants’ journeys and vice versa. We want to find out whether or not the assumptions that lead to the design of immigration policies reflect reality. Does border control prevent irregular immigration? And what is the role of the various actors, including the countries of origin, transit, and arrival, and the migrants themselves? In order to answer these questions, we bring together insights from political science and ethnographic field work—two disciplines which have so far debated their insights mainly within separate research frameworks. The articles take into account the interests of the migrants’ countries of origin, transit and arrival, as well as the motives and strategies of the migrants themselves. The resulting findings are relevant to both policy makers and scientific experts, but also to anyone interested in governing migration.

Die Dissertation untersucht die Kontrolle von Mobilität an fortifizierten Grenzen. Auch in Zeiten der Globalisierung steigt die Zahl von Grenzzäunen weltweit rapide an. Während Grenzbefestigungen in der Vergangenheit oft mit militärischen Konflikten in Verbindung standen, dienen sie heute in erster Linie der Kontrolle von Mobilität. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Entwicklungen analysiert die Arbeit vier Fallstudien: die ungarisch-serbische, die US-amerikanisch-mexikanische, die pakistanisch-indische und die algerisch-marokkanische Grenze. Ausgehend von der Frage, wie an befestigten Grenzen Mobilität kontrolliert wird, werden die Funktionsweisen von Grenzen herausgearbeitet. Die Arbeit besteht aus drei Artikeln. Der erste untersucht anhand der ungarisch-serbischen Grenze die Wirkung der Fortifizierung auf Migrationskontrolle und Innenpolitik und betont darüber hinaus die Bedeutung der internationalen Verflechtungen dieser Grenze. Der zweite Beitrag vergleicht zwei Zäune, den US-amerikanischen und den ungarischen. Er untersucht Migrationskontrolle mit einem Fokus auf Asyl und zeigt, dass die Grenzzäune hier eine materielle, eine symbolische und eine Filterfunktion erfüllen. Sie dienen dazu, MigrantInnen am Überschreiten der Grenze zu hindern und damit den Zugang zu Asyl zu beschränken. Der dritte Artikel vergleicht alle vier Fälle. Der Artikel kommt zu dem Schluss, dass befestigte Grenzen Ungleichheiten sowohl auf globaler als auch auf lokaler Ebene verstärken und dabei sowohl MigrantInnen als auch die Grenzbevölkerung marginalisieren. Zusammenfassend untersucht die Dissertation Grenz- und Migrationskontrolle und analysiert dabei die Gründe für die Grenzbefestigungen ebenso wie deren Kontext und Auswirkungen. Befestigte Grenzen verstärken durch Kontrolle und Filtern von Mobilität verschiedene Formen von Ungleichheit und Marginalisierung. Da Grenzen weltweit immer stärker fortifiziert werden, sind diese Themen von größter Aktualität. / This dissertation investigates mobility control at fortified borders. Border fortifications are on the rise today and will most probably shape the future of nation states and global mobility. Whereas in the past border fences were often associated with military conflict, the new walls are mostly designed to control and filter mobility. In light of these developments, the thesis analyzes four case studies, namely the Hungarian-Serbian, the U.S. American-Mexican, the Pakistani-Indian and the Algerian-Moroccan borders. Starting with the question of how fortified borders control mobility, it provides an extensive analysis of the control function of borders. The thesis is comprised of three papers. The first examines the Hungarian-Serbian border, highlighting the topics of migration control and domestic politics as well as the international entanglements of this border. The second paper compares two fences, namely the U.S. American and the Hungarian. It examines migration control with a focus on the issue of asylum and shows that fortifications fulfil a material, a symbolical and a filtering function in order to prevent refugees from crossing the border, thereby restricting access to asylum. The third article compares all four cases. It concludes that fortified borders increase inequalities on both the global and the local level, triggering severe social and human effects on both migrants and border populations. In sum, the dissertation explores the topics of border control, selectivity, power relations and inequality by analyzing four fortified borders. It sheds light on different aspects of border control, including the reasons for fortifications as well as their context and impact. It argues that by controlling and filtering mobility, fortified borders sustain and reinforce different forms of inequality and marginalization. As the world’s borders are becoming more and more fortified, these topics are highly relevant and require further research.