ABSTRACT
Drawing on fieldwork among irregular migrants in Norway, this article examines how borders are constructed, reproduced and contested by a variety of actors, using techniques, institutions, laws, policies and social interactions at different scales. It indicates the shifts in border regimes following the alleged weakening of national borders after the Cold War. The implementation of European integration, for instance through the Schengen Agreement, has made it increasingly difficult for undocumented travellers to cross the external Schengen borders, and within the nation-states, internal boundary processes facilitate, obstruct and set yardsticks for migrants' entrance to society. Drawing on scholars who have explored the spatial dimensions of border controls (delocalization), the temporal dimension, and the role of non-state actors in shaping border policies (denationalization), I investigate borders through three critical moments for migrants: the movement to Europe, the waiting in Europe and the (potential) return.
