ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the framework of the 'intimate economy' to explore Darwin's role in networks of detention. It explores that logics of detention are geographically situated within a global historical and geopolitical context, yet are also more deeply rooted in certain communities like Darwin than in others. The chapter suggests that detention took root in Darwin so readily because of tendencies towards isolation, ambiguity and erasure that were already present in Darwin community life. It explores how isolation and jurisdictional ambiguities as well as colonial processes of erasure shaped Darwin as an inviting place for detention. While the chapter focuses on the 2011-12 period, Darwin's intimate relationships with detention have continued. The chapterexplores how the intimate setting of Darwin as a community with a complex history, distinct geography and paradoxical relationship to other communities within Australia affects contemporary practices of immigration detention in Darwin.
