The Exclusionary Politics of Asylum

This critique of the securitization and criminalization of asylum seeking challenges the claim that asylum seekers 'threaten' receiving states. It analyzes recent policy developments in relation to their wider historical, political and European contexts and argues that the UK response effectively renders asylum seekers as scapegoats.

Shortlisted for the 2010 BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize

'Theoretically sophisticated and empirically well-grounded, The Exclusionary Politics of Asylum is an important addition to critical literature on the politics of refuge in Europe. Squire's assured dissection of the discourses and practices through which the problematic figure of the asylum seeker is produced underpins a fascinating mediation on securitization, sovereign power and territoriality in the contemporary European political order.'

-David Owen, Professor of Social and Political Philosophy, University of Southampton, UK

'An outstanding contribution to the study of the securitisation of asylum, this book is a must read for anyone interested in the critical study of migration, borders, and citizenship. Through a theorisation of 'acts of citizenship', Vicki Squire brilliantly demonstrates how migrants are emerging as agents that interrupt and move beyond the exclusionary politics of asylum.'

- Peter Nyers, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, McMaster University, Canada

'This is a timely and ambitious book...it constitutes a serious contribution to critical debates on the possibilities of a post-territorial conception of citizenship. Challenging contemporary readings of the politics of migration and highlighting the dangers that are associated with the failure to move beyond a territorially-based conception of citizenship, Vicki Squire offers a theoretically engaging and empirically rich contribution on a burning issue of contemporary politics.'

- Aletta J. Norval, Reader in Political Theory, Department of Government, University of Essex, UK

'Squire's book is a good point of departure for debating issues of asylum, and almost necessary reading for practitioners in the field of asylum.'

- Nordic Journal of Ethnicity and Migration

Decidedly conceptual, The Exclusionary Politics of Asylum is a forceful contribution to critical citizenship and forced migration studies. As such, it is particularly recommended to readers following the theoretical debates in this dynamic research area...One looks forward to reading further analysis of the issue in the author's future studies.'

- Journal of Refugee Studies

'This is a sophisticated study with a strong theoretical foundation which will be of great interest to scholars already familiar with the issues surrounding the politics of asylum.'

- Lucy Mayblin, Sociology Department, University of Warwick

VICKI SQUIRE is RCUK Research Fellow at the Centre for Citizenship, Identities and Governance and at the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), The Open University, UK.