| ID | 119985 |
| Title Proper | Ambivalence and citizenship |
| Other Title Information | theorising the political claims of irregular migrants |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | McNevin, Anne |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Irregular migration gives rise to political claims that test the limits of political community and the expression of human rights in an increasingly interconnected world. This article provides a theorisation of the political claims of irregular migrants that starts with the notion of ambivalence. I argue that the ambivalence present in such claims can be understood as a political resource that is generative of new political relations across the terrain of human mobility and border control. In order to discern the generative quality of ambivalence, I argue in addition for an approach to theory production that is grounded in concrete migrant struggles. The argument is made via a critique of two theoretical perspectives that are influential amongst scholars working at the intersection of Migration Studies and Political and International Theory: the work of Giorgio Agamben and the 'Autonomy of Migration'. An approach that avoids the reductive accounts of power evident in both perspectives provides a better starting point from which to assess the transformative potential of irregular migrants' political claims. |
| `In' analytical Note | Millennium: Journal of International Studies Vol. 41, No.2; Jan 2013: p.182-200 |
| Journal Source | Millennium: Journal of International Studies Vol. 41, No.2; Jan 2013: p.182-200 |
| Key Words | Agamben ; Ambivalence ; Autonomy of Migration ; Citizenship ; Irregular Migration ; Migrant Activism |