ISBN
978-1529201826Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529201819Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529201857Imprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529201864Imprint
Bristol University Press
Borders, Migration and Class in an Age of Crisis
In the media
On our blog: 'Borders, migration and class in times of COVID-19'
On our blog: 'Today’s crisis calls for social transformation beyond the capitalist horizon'
This book responds to global tendencies toward increasingly restrictive border controls and populist movements targeting migrants for violence and exclusion. Informed by Marxist theory, it challenges standard narratives about immigration and problematises commonplace distinctions between ‘migrants’ and ‘workers’. Using Britain as a case study, the book examines how these categories have been constructed and mobilised within representations of a ‘migrant crisis’ and a ‘welfare crisis’ to facilitate capitalist exploitation. It uses ideas from grassroots activism to propose alternative understandings of the relationship between borders, migration and class that provide a basis for solidarity.
"This book makes a timely and indispensable contribution to our understanding of how Britain’s border regime is structured through capitalism." Ethnic and Racial Studies
“Elaborating his concept of ‘mobility power’, Vickers provides an extremely compelling analysis of the ways in which class solidarity has been fragmented, and how it might be re-consolidated in the future… a welcome addition to a growing body of literature on migration and border control.” Border Criminologies blog
''Those wishing to shake free from the dominant hostile narrative towards immigration into the UK and elsewhere would do very well to read this – at times brilliantly unique and challenging – account. Vickers champions a bottom-up approach shaped by the perspectives of migrants themselves.'' Gary Craig, Newcastle University
''Tom Vickers’ book brings class and class formation back in critical migration and border studies. Exploring points of division, connection, and commonality among the working class from the angle of migration, this book is a timely and important theoretical and political intervention.'' Sandro Mezzadra, University of Bologna
''By revealing the differently situated perspectives of workers and showing capitalism’s relationship to mobility, this book provides activists with a shared foundation, bringing hope for a broad-based collective action that bridges nationalist divides.'' Jessica Potter, Docs Not Cops
Tom Vickers is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Nottingham Trent University. His research is intimately connected to his participation in social movements, community organising and community education, as a form of critical public sociology spanning diverse struggles.
Introduction;
Imperialism, migration and class in the 21st Century;
Deconstructing migrant crises in Europe;
Deconstructing welfare crises;
Mobility power and labour power in the crisis of imperialism;
Deconstructing migrant/worker categories Britain;
Conclusion;
Appendix: Research background and methodology.
