Books by Bastian Vollmer
Borders Revisited - Discourses on the UK Border, 2021
The nature and configuration of borders, and the relationship between state borders and societies... more The nature and configuration of borders, and the relationship between state borders and societies, have changed. In the 21stcentury, internationalism, transnationalism, and superdiversity have further provoked complexities and anxieties. It seems that as border and migration regimes undergo dramatic transformations, their public profile increases. This book revisits borders, bordering practices, and meanings, with a particular focus on the United Kingdom as a case study. Bastian A. Vollmer examines not only the theoretical and historical dimensions of borders but also various empirical data, including extensive text corpora and dozens of in-depth interviews. Expanding on the concept of vernacular security—that is, an everyday understanding of security—he argues that the existential value of borders is not merely physical, but extends into the order and future construction of states and societies. This book demonstrates decisively that the concept of the border has not left the centre stage of philosophy, political theory, and political sociology, but has instead emerged as a focal point for multidisciplinary engagements. It further demonstrates how attention to a vernacular perspective can inform those engagements, yielding vital insights. As such, it should appeal to students and scholars across disciplines interested in the contemporary development and relevance of borders and their discursive cultures.
This book discusses the question of migration in the highly topical context of Ukraine. Building ... more This book discusses the question of migration in the highly topical context of Ukraine. Building on existing literature and drawing on a rich variety of empirical data and field research, the author addresses migration by Ukrainian nationals into the European Union (EU), and how and why people leave or stay in Ukraine. In doing so, he explores the imaginations, life-stories, aspirations and life-projects of Ukrainian migrants. Vollmer also considers questions of subjectivity, the self and the construction of narratives, and contributes more widely to the significant academic and political debates surrounding Ukrainian migration in the EU.
Introduction: Eurocentrism and the field of migration research
The study of migration has been e... more Introduction: Eurocentrism and the field of migration research
The study of migration has been established as a discipline in its own right, and yet, is arguably still in the process of ‘becoming’ (Garelli & Tazzioli, 2013). In regions where migration became a matter of politics and political management, one can observe a par- ticularly stark development of research agendas. Migration became one of the central challenges of the twenty-first century. For instance, for Europe and the EU, migration has ever more increased in its significance as being one of the major determinants that steer the future and welfare of European populations and societies (e.g. European Commission, 2014). From a European perspective, immigration flows and its implica- tions were meticulously examined and strategies of ‘how to manage this phenomenon’ were developed over the years. Numerous studies contributed to the field of regulating migration and understanding the motives of people leaving their countries of ‘origin’. Castles and Miller’s Age of Migration (1993) is currently published as 5th edition (now with de Haas), one of the seminal contribution, providing a comprehensive overview of international migration history, flows and consequences including future challenges of human migration such as climate change. Cornelius, Martin, and Hollifield (1994) – for instance – addressed migration from a different angle: How the Western world reacts and deals with the phenomenon of migration. This volume has been updated 10 years later in 2004 (now with Tsuda). Authors try to elaborate the implications of migration for industrialized democracies including France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States (for the second edition, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea were added). How public policy is challenged and how this new driv- ing factor for democratic elections plays out in these industrialized societies are the central themes of these compendia. Authors discuss selection and controlling measures and how and why they often fail. From other angles – and this could be continued ad infinitum – such as history, Hoerder (2002) provided an in-depth insight into the migratory world, while for example, Bartram (2013) intends to speak to economists and psychologists alike.
This book looks at the language in the media, in particular, at two different newspaper genres an... more This book looks at the language in the media, in particular, at two different newspaper genres and addresses the question of how innovative language is used. By applying corpus and discourse analysis, the book shows how neologisms appear in two representatives of newspaper genres in Germany (Bild and Süddeutsche Zeitung) whilst analysing if and how these new word constructions have a persuasive function. The construction, frequencies and persuasive use of neologisms in both newspapers are surprisingly similar. This finding plays out not only in commentary articles, but also in neutral/informative news pieces, which signifies the critical situation of news media. The book points to developments in the media in relation to public discourses which questions the impact of market forces and revisits the role of the media as ‘fourth power’.
Irregular migration or ‘illegal immigration’ has been high up on the political agenda in many cou... more Irregular migration or ‘illegal immigration’ has been high up on the political agenda in many countries for many years, with successive governments in countries across the globe investing heavily in tightening their borders and developing policies designed at controlling it. It is an issue, however, that has gained, in a European context, particular resonance in Germany and the UK.
Through retrospective analysis of the policy domain of irregular migration control in Germany and the UK, this important study provides a comprehensible yet detailed understanding of the policy situation in both countries today, and explains how these policy regimes came to the fore and the reasons behind the way in which they developed. Using discourse and policy analysis, this text traces the origins of particular policy ideas and explains why, despite the
differing contexts and migration histories in Germany and the UK, their policy responses to irregular migration have converged to the point that they are now very similar. This book is a ‘must read’ for students and scholars of German and British politics and public policy, European studies and migration studies.
Papers by Bastian Vollmer
In this chapter, I will draw on a variety of empirical data examining the perceptions and everyda... more In this chapter, I will draw on a variety of empirical data examining the perceptions and everyday understandings of the UK civil society and ‘their’ state border. The example of the UK is particularly interesting because governments have invested high efforts into constructing a more secure UK border for decades. My data, however, will show an ambiguous and paradoxical picture of the UK border instead of its usually assumed picture representing a monolithic symbolism of security and protection. People are no longer sure about their borders, although their borders are navigators for finding ways through the politics and cultures of fear. The continuum of insecurities has not only reached the peripheries of state and society but arrived at the heart of both.
In this chapter, the case of UK borders will be further contextualised in the framework of EU bor... more In this chapter, the case of UK borders will be further contextualised in the framework of EU borders and the state and discourse of migratory affairs. It will recap the EU ‘migration crisis’ by showcasing some developments that have taken place in Germany and discuss volatile discourses and the increasingly polarised public opinion that have been emerging in Germany and in other European contexts. The analytical lens will be sharpened at the same time in this chapter by the introduction of some related but significant concepts such as order, threat, citizen, otherness and deservingness. The described effects of the underlying discursive shifts and the re-ordering by re-bordering processes that can be observed add a valuable framework before we look closer at the more specific UK border configurations, its perceptions and consequences.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jun 1, 2023
in critical discourse studies and academic writing. He studied Linguistics and English at the Uni... more in critical discourse studies and academic writing. He studied Linguistics and English at the University of Vienna and the University of Amsterdam, and he holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics by the University of Vienna. His research interests include the mediatisation of political discourse, the interplay between politics and policy, political advertising and campaigning, and populist discourse. He has a continuing interest in methodological innovation within critical discourse studies, especially regarding triangulation and mixed methods. He has received fellowships from the International Research Centre for Cultural Studies (IFK) and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) of Vienna. His latest book, Revisiting the toolbox of discourse studies: New Trajectories in Methodology, Open Data and Visualization, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2019.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), May 8, 2023
specialising in critical discourse studies and academic writing. He studied Linguistics and Engli... more specialising in critical discourse studies and academic writing. He studied Linguistics and English at the University of Vienna and the University of Amsterdam, and he holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics by the University of Vienna. His research interests include the mediatisation of political discourse, the interplay between politics and policy, political advertising and campaigning, and populist discourse. He has a continuing interest in methodological innovation within critical discourse studies, especially regarding triangulation and mixed methods. He has received fellowships from the International Research Centre for Cultural Studies (IFK) and the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) of Vienna. His latest book, Revisiting the toolbox of discourse studies: New Trajectories in Methodology, Open Data and Visualization, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2019.
Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Feb 29, 2016
Abstract Post-Westphalia processes such as the increasing mobility of people, the rise of the int... more Abstract Post-Westphalia processes such as the increasing mobility of people, the rise of the international human rights framework, globalization, transnationalization and the political integration of Europe have ‘fundamentally changed the meaning of borders’ (Guild 2001, Moving the Borders of Europe. Inaugural Lecture. Nijmegen: University of Nijmegen, 3). Borders have a ‘polysemic nature’ (Balibar 2002, Politics and the Other Scene. London: Verso, 81), they do not have the same meaning for everyone. This article claims, however, there is another, yet new, fundamental shift as regards the meaning of border: a socio-psychological shift. There is a drastic increase in the public profile of borders. This hypothesized shift requires a new approach on borders. In part it confirms Balibar’s (2002) claim but the article considers the implications for research agendas (Politics and the Other Scene. London: Verso). The article posits a research agenda that goes back to basic questions. It suggests a hermeneutical approach to European bordering and border regimes.
Routledge eBooks, Oct 20, 2021
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014
Migration Letters, Oct 1, 2012
The notion of borders will be questioned in this paper by depicting an ethnographic journey from ... more The notion of borders will be questioned in this paper by depicting an ethnographic journey from which a counter-discourse emerged, a discourse that contradicts with the currently acknowledged discourses of borders. Border dis-courses are dominated by security and threat, by the meaning of the bulwark that surrounds nation states in physical, legal, political and ideational terms. Scholars have examined borders from various different perspectives and within the framework of different disciplines; academic discourses have emerged over the years (such as on securitisation), while national governments across the globe as well as the European Union (EU) attempted to seal their permeable borders. They have introduced ever more legal obstacles and enforcement measures to put their goal into practice: preserving sovereignty. The commonly acknowledged discourses on borders will not be challenged per se in its exist-ence, but empirical data will be used to demonstrate a different account of the notion of borders. This account makes light of the notion of borders as travellers followed their everyday business and dealt with the bulwark of the EU, the EU external border, with ease and amusement.
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014
Bearing in mind that borders are man-made, and as such could be ignored, a border needs to be und... more Bearing in mind that borders are man-made, and as such could be ignored, a border needs to be understood based on the assumption that man (as well as borders) is as an imperfect or 'sinful' creature. Natural rights may not exist independent of circumstances or conditions, since man may be "unfit to exercise them" (Kirk, 1954: 56). Hence, social norms and values that regularise and control this nature of man need to be accordingly preserved. An implication of the above-described conservative belief system is paternalism or disciplining paternalism. Paternalism carries the notion of 'father' or 'father state' which was getting involved and protect people from their own and voluntary, yet possibly faulty, decisions in order to maximise their own good. Evidently, this paternalistic principle is linked to the antagonistic relationship of liberty and security. This relationship is dominated by a trade-off between the two. The pursuit of security, which in its complete form lies perpetually beyond reach, tries to reduce relative uncertainties and insecurities. This pursuit deploys means to these ends including various strategies at different levels of action that affect the entity of liberty. The state guarantees physical security and tries to regulate economic and social securities up to a certain extent, but at the same time, it protects the rule of law that guarantees fundamental rights of common and individual freedoms. The fulfilment of these needs become increasingly problematic, since it poses a negative, and as often-shown antagonistic relationship. Thus, such dilemmas create an inevitable trade-off, which complicates a desired balance between liberty and security (Hudson, 2001; Vollmer, forthcoming 2010; von Hirsch, 1990). Considering this antagonistic relationship between liberty and security, the element of conservative belief system structures this relationship in a particular way: security could be understood as a condition for attaining liberty. The conservative belief system followed the logic of Cicero's de legibus (On the laws) that stated "Legum denique idcirco omnes servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus" (We are in bondage to the law in order that we may be free) (Cicero, 1897: 53, 146). This logic confines one's actions to laws and rules, but these very laws and rules provide security and thus liberty. In contrast to Mill and his proposition of "It is not freedom to be allowed to alienate [one's] freedom", the restriction or intervention was thought to be a positive restriction that benefits welfare or freedom of society; it supports to aim the member's own goals rather than an alien imposition on them (
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014
A description of the general policy framework contributes to a better understanding of public pol... more A description of the general policy framework contributes to a better understanding of public policymaking processes. For this purpose, policy making processes and how actors behave within them will be looked at in more detail. Policymaking is usually embedded in the context of how interests of actors, parliaments, and governmental negotiations evolve over time. Although this study — as will be elaborated in full detail at a later stage — focuses mainly on the discourses and language of such policy processes, the general framework of the field of policymaking and the relation between policy frames and actors will be demonstrated in this chapter. It will become clear what role language, or ‘lingual constructs’, have in this study. The chapter will discuss focal concepts such as discourses, frames, and actors, and will describe the approach taken in the subsequent case analysis.
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2014
This chapter compares Germany and the UK in a further step towards answering the main research qu... more This chapter compares Germany and the UK in a further step towards answering the main research question of this book: how did two countries with highly divergent historical and policy backgrounds come to respond similarly to the emerging phenomenon of irregular migration? A two-layered discursive policy analysis was designed to address the question of how these pathways can be found and how they signify distinct discursive developments of immigration control in the two countries. The second layer of that analysis is the subject of this chapter. For the purposes of this analysis similarities and difference between the two cases, as well as their consequences, will be identified and interpreted.
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Books by Bastian Vollmer
The study of migration has been established as a discipline in its own right, and yet, is arguably still in the process of ‘becoming’ (Garelli & Tazzioli, 2013). In regions where migration became a matter of politics and political management, one can observe a par- ticularly stark development of research agendas. Migration became one of the central challenges of the twenty-first century. For instance, for Europe and the EU, migration has ever more increased in its significance as being one of the major determinants that steer the future and welfare of European populations and societies (e.g. European Commission, 2014). From a European perspective, immigration flows and its implica- tions were meticulously examined and strategies of ‘how to manage this phenomenon’ were developed over the years. Numerous studies contributed to the field of regulating migration and understanding the motives of people leaving their countries of ‘origin’. Castles and Miller’s Age of Migration (1993) is currently published as 5th edition (now with de Haas), one of the seminal contribution, providing a comprehensive overview of international migration history, flows and consequences including future challenges of human migration such as climate change. Cornelius, Martin, and Hollifield (1994) – for instance – addressed migration from a different angle: How the Western world reacts and deals with the phenomenon of migration. This volume has been updated 10 years later in 2004 (now with Tsuda). Authors try to elaborate the implications of migration for industrialized democracies including France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States (for the second edition, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea were added). How public policy is challenged and how this new driv- ing factor for democratic elections plays out in these industrialized societies are the central themes of these compendia. Authors discuss selection and controlling measures and how and why they often fail. From other angles – and this could be continued ad infinitum – such as history, Hoerder (2002) provided an in-depth insight into the migratory world, while for example, Bartram (2013) intends to speak to economists and psychologists alike.
Through retrospective analysis of the policy domain of irregular migration control in Germany and the UK, this important study provides a comprehensible yet detailed understanding of the policy situation in both countries today, and explains how these policy regimes came to the fore and the reasons behind the way in which they developed. Using discourse and policy analysis, this text traces the origins of particular policy ideas and explains why, despite the
differing contexts and migration histories in Germany and the UK, their policy responses to irregular migration have converged to the point that they are now very similar. This book is a ‘must read’ for students and scholars of German and British politics and public policy, European studies and migration studies.
Papers by Bastian Vollmer
The study of migration has been established as a discipline in its own right, and yet, is arguably still in the process of ‘becoming’ (Garelli & Tazzioli, 2013). In regions where migration became a matter of politics and political management, one can observe a par- ticularly stark development of research agendas. Migration became one of the central challenges of the twenty-first century. For instance, for Europe and the EU, migration has ever more increased in its significance as being one of the major determinants that steer the future and welfare of European populations and societies (e.g. European Commission, 2014). From a European perspective, immigration flows and its implica- tions were meticulously examined and strategies of ‘how to manage this phenomenon’ were developed over the years. Numerous studies contributed to the field of regulating migration and understanding the motives of people leaving their countries of ‘origin’. Castles and Miller’s Age of Migration (1993) is currently published as 5th edition (now with de Haas), one of the seminal contribution, providing a comprehensive overview of international migration history, flows and consequences including future challenges of human migration such as climate change. Cornelius, Martin, and Hollifield (1994) – for instance – addressed migration from a different angle: How the Western world reacts and deals with the phenomenon of migration. This volume has been updated 10 years later in 2004 (now with Tsuda). Authors try to elaborate the implications of migration for industrialized democracies including France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States (for the second edition, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea were added). How public policy is challenged and how this new driv- ing factor for democratic elections plays out in these industrialized societies are the central themes of these compendia. Authors discuss selection and controlling measures and how and why they often fail. From other angles – and this could be continued ad infinitum – such as history, Hoerder (2002) provided an in-depth insight into the migratory world, while for example, Bartram (2013) intends to speak to economists and psychologists alike.
Through retrospective analysis of the policy domain of irregular migration control in Germany and the UK, this important study provides a comprehensible yet detailed understanding of the policy situation in both countries today, and explains how these policy regimes came to the fore and the reasons behind the way in which they developed. Using discourse and policy analysis, this text traces the origins of particular policy ideas and explains why, despite the
differing contexts and migration histories in Germany and the UK, their policy responses to irregular migration have converged to the point that they are now very similar. This book is a ‘must read’ for students and scholars of German and British politics and public policy, European studies and migration studies.
Attempts to migrate to Europe are preceded by the formation of aspirations to migrate which are shaped by the development of perceptions on human rights and democracy in Europe and in the home country. These aspirations may take the form of broad desires to r go to Europe or elsewhere, or more specific preferences in terms of destinations and modes of migration (e.g. through family reunification, family formation, temporary work programmes, asylum, or irregular entry). Migration-related perceptions and aspirations develop within a specific cultural, political-juridical and economic setting, referred to as the emigration environment. Ethnographic studies have demonstrated how migration aspirations are linked with socially and culturally constructed perceptions. These include ideas and meanings attached to the migration project, subjective images of one’s current environment, and thoughts about potential destinations. While the European Union is the principal focus of this project it will also explore how in the mind of residents of various emigration countries Europe compares with other major destination countries, notably the US, Russia, Australia and Canada.
The aims of the project Fundamental rights situation of irregular immigrants in the European Union (FRIM) are:
• To examine key aspects of the situation of irregular migrants in the European Union including seven research areas: (1) health; (2) housing; (3) education; (4) social care; (5) employment status; (6) fair working conditions and (7) access to remedies against violations and abuse
• To assess the extent to which their fundamental rights are respected and protected in the corresponding research areas.
• To provide policymakers with evidence based knowledge suggesting measures for the protection of the fundamental rights of irregular migrants.
• To give practitioners practical tools to promote the rights of irregular migrants.
In Germany and in a number of EU member states, low levels of ontological as well physical security of minorities and immigrants coincide with a mix of low levels of inclusiveness and high levels of pressure to 'integrate'. An arising 'integration paradox' can be observed and this project seeks to elucidate how this integration paradox has an impact on individuals' choices and their ability to 'be at home' in their country of birth/residence.
Following current approaches in critical security studies that have shifted from focusing on hegemonic institutions and its discourses to subjects of securitization, this project focuses on the immigrant and minority communities and their relation to infrastructures of surveillance and power. It seeks to shed light on the impact of securitization on Muslim (and in a different way) Jewish communities in Germany and its effects on whether their members feel being 'welcomed' and 'secure'.
UNHCR in Central Europe has developed (by collaborating with states’ authorities and the NGO sector) a framework to support border management policies and practices with the aim to ensure that people seeking asylum can secure access to territory and procedures. A Border Management and Protection of Refugees (BMPR) framework was initiated by UNHCR and the Regional Representation for Central Europe (RCCE) in 2005/2006 which set up the basis for enhancing an approach in managing and monitoring border crossings, and to enhance regional, sub-regional and inter-regional coordination in the RCCE countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia).
This project aims to evaluate the track record of UNHCR's past achievements addressing access to territory, border management and protection of refugees project. It collaborates with the UNHCR in producing a forward-looking, practical, and useful appraisal by looking at the extent to which UNHCR’s border monitoring arrangements in the RCCE countries have worked, but also at what lessons can be drawn for the design of similar programmes in the future as well as the continued development of the BMPR. The evaluation exercise addresses the components of:
Compliance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and UNHCR Mandate
The effective access to the territory and procedure for persons of concern to UNHCR