Leonie Ansems de Vries

This book exposes the strategies that make migrants’ lives unliveable and explores their resistance to this violence. Drawing on years of research across Europe, the author captures the lived reality of asylum seekers, refugees and other marginalised migrants, including their struggles with constant evictions, detention, push-backs, deportations and violence. Blending feminist, intersectional and decolonial perspectives, the book reframes exhaustion as both a tool of governance and a site of struggle. By amplifying neglected voices and envisioning politics grounded in solidarity, care and friendship, this is a powerful call to rethink how movement, borders and resistance are understood.

This book exposes the strategies that make migrants’ lives unliveable and explores their resistance to this violence. Drawing on years of research across Europe, the author captures the lived reality of asylum seekers, refugees and other marginalised migrants, including their struggles with constant evictions, detention, push-backs, deportations and violence. Blending feminist, intersectional and decolonial perspectives, the book reframes exhaustion as both a tool of governance and a site of struggle. By amplifying neglected voices and envisioning politics grounded in solidarity, care and friendship, this is a powerful call to rethink how movement, borders and resistance are understood.

Migration presents critical essays, lexicons and conversations about an online Editorial published by Arts Cabinet at the start of the pandemic, which brought together leading artists, researchers, practitioners, theorists from around the world to present their research, experimentations and work in connection with the topic of Migration. A rich document of 60 contributions presenting an original perspective on the question of Migration is the object of reflection of this publication. The publication was conceived as an extension of the Editorial and has been designed to embody fluidity and continuity, rather than mark a conclusion. Authors Kate Keohane, Art Historian – The University of Oxford Francis McKee – Writer, Curator – Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow Jasmine Chohan – PhD Researcher – The Courtauld Mark O’Neill – Former Head of Glasgow Museums Anya Smirnova – PhD Researcher – Tate/The Courtauld Azadeh Fatehrad – Artist, Curator, Writer, Educator – Kingston University Maria McLintock – Architect, Writer, Curator – The Design Museum Leonie Ansems de Vries – Reader in International Relations, and Director of the Centre for Migration – King’s College London Svetlana Sequeira Costa – Founding Director, Arts Cabinet Featured and referenced Artists and Researchers: Sabih Ahmed // Alia Ali // Leonie Ansems de Vries // Laurie Benson // Lola Boatwright // Kirell Benzi // Cécile Bourne-Farrell // Clementine Butler-Gallie // Rohini Devasher // Mercedes Dorame // Maja & Reuben Fowkes // Gelare Khoshgozaran // Bruno Lopes // Mónica de Miranda // Hande Sever // Annie Webster Featuring special contributions: Ibrahim Ahmed// Ilona Németh // Zineb Sedira // Julian Germain // Oto Hudec // Szabolcs Kisspál // Fokus Grupa (Iva Kova? / Elvis Krstulovi?)//Dan Bustillo // Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida // Yara Monteiro // Ondjaki Nadia Yracema // Telma AnaV // Suzy Halajian// Daniela Lieja Quintanar// Sichong Xie // Hanaa Malallah // Chris Kenny // Hannah Khalil // Max Hirzel // Julian Klein // PositiveNegatives// Anna Virabyan

The prominence and variety of global movements of resistance indicates that the idea of politics as governance is contested. However, the political canon continues to reinforce a narrow definition of politics according to liberal principles and practices. This book develops a new theory of political life that includes, and highlights, the interconnectedness of forces of order, disorder, governance, resistance, violence and difference. Using the concept of the milieu— both a mechanism of governance and a force of difference and transformation—this book stages an encounter between the modern political and international thought of Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant and the contemporary philosophy of Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze. The writings of Foucault and Deleuze will serve to explore and contextualize the milieu and will function to highlight the complex mobility and relationality of notions of politics, life, governance and resistance.

The prominence and variety of global movements of resistance indicates that the idea of politics as governance is contested. However, the political canon continues to reinforce a narrow definition of politics according to liberal principles and practices. This book develops a new theory of political life that includes, and highlights, the interconnectedness of forces of order, disorder, governance, resistance, violence and difference. Using the concept of the milieu— both a mechanism of governance and a force of difference and transformation—this book stages an encounter between the modern political and international thought of Thomas Hobbes and Immanuel Kant and the contemporary philosophy of Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze. The writings of Foucault and Deleuze will serve to explore and contextualize the milieu and will function to highlight the complex mobility and relationality of notions of politics, life, governance and resistance.