Between Borders

Abstract

Abstract While external borders determine which immigrants get in and internal borders determine their sense of belonging, this chapter explores those spaces in-between the two: interstitial spaces between sovereign jurisdictions. The discussion begins by exploring how these spaces are ignored in most immigration ethics literature, despite their rising prevalence. The chapter then moves on to outline different types of interstitial space, including planned camps, informal squats, and EU hotspots. These operate through practices of hospitality that separate immigrants and determine their level of welcome, care and harassment, as illustrated in Calais (France) and Azraq (Jordan). The final section argues that this demonstrates a moral mapping where responsibility is repeatedly deferred based in an ethos of ambivalent, racialised division.