Global (Im)mobility in the Mirror of Postmodern Transformations: The Political Aspect

Abstract

The increasing spatial fluidity of the population in general and the inclusion of a wider range of people in international migration in particular is recognized as one of the most visible manifestations of globalization. However, processes contributing to the movement and global relations at the same time generate physical and socio-political immobility, alienation, and dissociation. The phenomenon of (im)mobility is considered from a political point of view. Making use of the institutional approach, the author defines (im)mobility as a process caused by international and national political institutions’ activities, on one hand, and stimulating the emergence of formal and informal political practices, on the other hand. Government regulation of cross-border migration is reflected in the demands of the valid grounds for the legal entering the territory of a state, the development of distance forms of mobility management, the establishment of financial mechanisms, and the imposition of restrictive migration measures. The isolating practices of modernity meet up with postmodern digital practices. Herewith, political barriers prevent the movement of potentially dangerous individuals and groups, and those not representing a danger to the community, violating human rights and fundamental freedoms, which are so-called mobility rights. Initiatives performed bypolitical parties and public associations prevent mobile citizens from accessing not only political leadership, but also their participation in political agenda setting.