Protests and emancipation at the European border. The case of Lampedusa

Abstract

This paper provides a theoretical analysis of the links between the protests organized by migrants without legal status and their emancipation, while they are officially detained in a closed center on the Italian island of Lampedusa. This study shows that the agency of these migrants is fundamental to the issue of this crisis, within a context similar to the Agamben’ state of exception. More precisely, the protest in Lampedusa highlights the way in which the adjournement of the rule of law can open up new opportunities to, not only denounce the injustice of some norms, but also to act against them.

Keywords administrative detention; protest movements; state of exception; empowerment of migrants