ABSTRACT
The Introduction discusses the aims of the book Lives in Transit, namely to provide an in-depth analysis of the process of migration to Europe and the borders built in order to block it. First of all, the book aims to go beyond a Eurocentric perspective on migration and asylum by applying the analytical lens of mobility. Second, the book drives the reader’s gaze back to the heart of Europe, but drawing attention to the power structures and relations that European societies have produced in relation to migration. The critical border studies approach allows a focus on the power dimension of borders. Third, this book forces the reader to reflect on the consequences of such power relations produced at the heart of Europe, by shedding light on their effects upon the lives of migrants and refugees. The theories of subjectivity allow the dynamism of power to be grasped from the perspective of the persons directly involved. The latter point requires a raising of awareness of the responsibility of European, national, and local governments and other actors involved in the control and management of migration towards and within Europe. Finally, insights are given on ethnography as the methodology applied in order to grasp power dynamics on the ground.
