Research
Precariousness of legal status
The increasing number of legal categorisations that are applied to those with refugee status represents an attempt to re-assert control over refugees who arrived to the state in a spontaneous manner. The categorisation and fragmentation of 'refugee' as a legal status represents another means by which to exclude refugees within the state. Refugees therefore experience a contradictory response to their presence. While they are continually reminded of the temporary nature of their legal status in the state, they are still required to demonstrate a willingness to integrate in to the host society. Their behaviour in the state is something that is once again recalled by the decision makers who determine whether they should ultimately be able to access citizenship status. I argue that in order to navigate a route to citizenship, the refugee must respond to the constant re-framing and re-contextualisation of her status in the state of asylum. This raises broader questions about the nature of citizenship and belonging.
The nature of legal precariousness in Canada and the EU was explored in Anne's articles, 'Ensuring Precariousness: The Status of Designated Foreign National under the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act 2012' and 'Producing Precariousness: ‘Safety Elsewhere’ and the Removal of International Protection Status under EU Law'.
Imagery, Imaginaries, Spectacle, and Migration Law and Policy
Contemporary debates on migration are structured by a specific spectacular image of migration. The image of the migrant is imbued with the concept of illegality to such a degree that governments have specifically linked their policies to the image of the migrant and the imaginary surrounding them. This is evident from the equation of small boat arrivals with illegality. I argue that this is a form of spectacle that not only sets the parameters for discussion on migration, but also shapes and influences the content of law. Equally, the use of these tropes of imagery by governments also tells us a great deal about the state's perception of itself and its unwillingness to acknowledge its role in contributing to displacement. This in turn speaks to a refusal to engage with its longer history of colonial exploitation.
Anne explores these concepts in her work, 'The museum and the border: the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the construction of the migrant and refugee', 'The Image of the Asylum Seeker and Spectacular Deterrence in UK Asylum Law' and 'The Spectacle of Deterrence: Rethinking Hypervisibility and Invisibility in Asylum Policy' (forthcoming).
Narratives of Law in the Exhibition Space
Exhibition spaces live a contradictory existence. Museums often represent hegemonic norms and/or state policy. At the
same time, state-funded spaces can be subverted through protest or other interventions which fundamentally challenge a
state's self-image. Smaller, independent exhibits can also disrupt the state’s self-narrative. Such interventions do not speak
solely to the ‘reason’ and ‘logic’ of exhibits, but evoke strong emotional responses through atmosphere.
Law contributes to regulating such spaces, influencing their practices of representation. Exhibits depict moments steeped
in law, and accordingly depict – implicitly or explicitly – law itself. Law is also a form of storytelling, depicting the state’s
relationship between its citizenry and the world, as well as relationships between citizens. This conference examines both
how exhibition sites represent law, and how they exist as spaces in conversation with the ‘stories’ law tells. The conference
specifically focuses on how such spaces complicate law’s narratives through affect and art.
Narratives of Law in the Exhibition Space was also a two-day conference (September 2023) funded by the British Academy and attended by colleagues from around the UK, Canada and Australia.
Research groups
Research grants
Narratives of Law in the Exhibition Space
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
April 2023 - September 2023