Leonardo Caffo
“Anarchy and the Migration Crisis: Rethinking Sovereignty and Borders”
lectio x 20th Annual International Conference on Philosophy submission
Athens
abstract
Anarchy, as a political theory, provides a compelling framework for addressing the contemporary migration crisis, especially through the lens of Toni Negri’s analysis in Empire. Migration, in this context is not simply population movement, but a challenge to traditional nation-state structures. Negri and Hard argue that global imperialist forces have eroded national boundaries, and migration further accelerates th dissolution of state-centric politics. Migrants, often termed “new barbarians,” destabilize fixed geopolitical and social boundaries. Their movement blurs traditional ideas of citizenship, challenging the rigid state structure. The notion of “new barbarians” refers to invaders who disrupt and destabilize the ancient constructs of statehood. However, Negri emphasizes that these “barbarians” are not external, but emerge within the global system, overturning distinctions of state sovereignty. This metaphor underscores that migration, a an ongoing flow, destroys nation-state classifications, prompting the need for new political formations. Migrants, by crossing borders, redefine sovereignty and reveal the fluidity of contemporary geopolitics. The “liquid theory of borders” suggests that instead of viewing borders as fixed, we should see them as part of a geography that is inherently unstable, shifting, and fluid. The idea of “barbarian geographies” challenges the traditional concept of inside and outside spaces, proposing a world where distinctions between the included and excluded are constantly questioned. Lampedusa, a focal point of the migration crisis, symbolizes this instability: the boundary between Europe and Africa becomes fluid, and the migrant’s status is not fixed but perpetually in transit. In this scenario, migrants are not mere “intruders” but transformative agents, challenging the essence of national territoriality. Agamben’s concept of the “state of exception” is crucial in understanding the migrant’s condition as “bar life,” living outside traditional legal categories. In Agamben’s view, the migrant is excluded from state protection, existing in a zone of exception. This state highlights the potential to rethink geography beyon state boundaries. The vision of a borderless geography, where people move freely, evokes an anarchic political order, one where authority is not imposed from above but created collectively in a shared space Anarchy, in this context, offers a solution to the migration crisis by rejecting rigid state borders and advocating for cooperative, inclusive societies. As a political theory opposing all forms of domination and authoritarianism, anarchy reimagines migration not as a threat, but as an opportunity to create a new geopolitical order. In this vision, migrants are not outsiders but contributors to a more fluid, inclusive, an free world. Thus, anarchist thought presents a radical departure from state-centric solutions, proposing a world without borders. This anarchic vision recognizes the transformative power of migration, seeing it as a challenge to the fixed boundaries of nation-states and an opportunity for a more inclusive, fluid global order. By rejecting the traditional politics of exclusion, anarchy suggests a reconfiguration of the global system, where movement across borders is not a threat but a means of fostering collective existence.
Provisional Program
(Please note that the detailed program will be uploaded at least 10 days before the conference and the time schedule of the sessions might be different)
Leonardo Caffo™ 