Death and Life Clandestine: Racial Boundaries and The Question of Refugees in Contemporary Philosophy

Abstract

The discussions about refugees and stateless people have been a key subject matter in contemporary philosophy. Theorists like Arendt, Foucault, Mbembe and Agamben reflected through some of their writings on the tensions gave rise over the emergence of the immigrant character in global politics. Nowadays, the ongoing expansion of migratory flows is a global phenomenon, as are the tensions arising from policies to curb certain flows, to close borders, to “let die” drifting in international seas, or to refuse entry and sojourn of refugees coming from wars and political conflicts. On the other hand, with the upsurge of transnational terrorism and the discursive construction around the Islamic threats – post-11 September 2001 – the migrations are now seen as permanent threats linked to terror. The growing identity nationalism and the reinforcement of borders seem, however, to be opposed to the discourse tied to globalization and neoliberalism theories, which presented themselves as the promise of the dissipation of boundaries in the regional trading blocs in favor of free circulation agreements. In this scenario of search for asylum and refuge, new challenges and issues are imposed on philosophical reflection and International Law, highly grounded in a statecentric conception. This essay aims to analyze the contemporary question of the refuge linked to the question of global terrorisms and racial borders, based on some considerations elaborated by contemporary theorists.