“Through poignant vignettes captured along her research trajectory, Loftsdóttir provides a thoughtful discussion of various conceptual considerations of mobility… Overall, the book presents a nuanced discussion of contemporary migration dynamics in a (post-)racialized world. The author consistently reminds us that African migrants are to be understood on their terms; the desire to migrate to Europe does not exist in a vacuum and is the result of a plethora of socio-economic factors.” • Ethnic and Racial Studies
“Loftsdóttir offers an innovative ethnographic and theoretical contribution that eloquently bridges the lived experiences of precarious Nigerien men and West Africans in general in Europe with nuanced theoretical analyses of Europe as a concept, race, and mobility.” • Scott M. Youngstedt, Saginaw Valley State University
“A ruminative, holistic treatment of a number of interconnected subjects related to globalization, migration, mobility, race, ethnicity, and indigeneity, Europe’s colonial history and its past and current entanglements with Africa.” • Liz Fekete, Director, Institute of Race Relations
Europe is often described as "flooded" by migrants or by Muslim "others," with Western African men especially portrayed as a security risk. At the same time the intensified mobility of privileged people in the Global North is celebrated as creating an increasingly cosmopolitan world. This book looks critically at racialization of mobility in Europe, anchoring the discussion in the aspiration of precarious migrants from Niger in Belgium and Italy. The book contextualizes their experiences within the ongoing securitization of mobility in their home country and the persistent denial of racism and colonialism that seeks to portray the innocence of Europe.
Kristín Loftsdóttir is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Iceland. Her publications include Crisis and Coloniality at Europe’s Margins: Creating Exotic Iceland (Routledge, 2019).
BISAC: SOC007000 SOCIAL SCIENCE/Emigration & Immigration; SOC002010 SOCIAL SCIENCE/Anthropology/Cultural & Social; SOC070000 SOCIAL SCIENCE/Race & Ethnic Relations
