This PhD dissertation arised from a necessary awareness, which started in 2015 when the crisis of the European border regime and later in South America started to become alarming. During this period, the escalating crisis of global border regimes was deeply concerning, characterized by violence and dehumanization against communities fleeing from regions of conflict, guerrilla warfare, corruption and poverty. One of the tactics employed by the European border regimes to control, monitor and impede mobility was the establishment of 'refugee camps' across various countries and borders within and outside the European Union, aiming to fortify 21st-century 'fortress Europe’. These 'refugee camps', commonly referred to in diverse academia context as ‘non-places’ and ‘places of exception’, became arenas where identity, belonging and human dignity were undermined by the violent and racist strategies of border regimes. These regimes, rooted in a colonial legacy, persist today amid what is labeled as 'the migration crisis'. This dissertation, in contrast, emerges from an examination of the counter-narrative surrounding 'refugee camps' governed and controlled by states and governments. It focuses on autonomous informal settlements established by communities-in-transit seeking refuge. Many of these communities, rejecting inclusion in the migratory identification database (e.g., through fingerprinting), have chosen to occupy empty spaces and abandoned buildings in the so-called peripheries of the cities. In these locations, they have forged social places of belonging, creating alternative modes of coexistence and togetherness. Through strategies of resistance against border regimes, these places have challenged conventional notions of placemaking and the dichotomy between 'periphery' and 'center' in contemporary postcolonial and postmigrant cities.
Titled "Somewhere Inbetween: From So-Called Non-Places Towards Social Places," this dissertation examines three self-built settlements in Europe and South America. The settlements: The Dzjangal in Calais (France), Tiburtina in Rome (Italy), and Los Arenales in Antofagasta (Chile), were established by communities-in-transit and remained self-organized. The inhabitants transformed empty urban zones into places (Massey) and neighborhoods through alternative placemaking. I explore how these so-called non-places change and evolve into social places and how the concept of Liminality (Van Gennep, Turner), along with the state of inbetweenness —both geographically and affectively between borders—might have play a role in their transformation. My inquiry includes questions such as: How did these autonomously occupied places create convivial and solidary places despite encountering violent interactions with border regimes? How did they pursue alternative ways of living and redefining the city through the occupation of urban spaces?
This PhD dissertation delves into three main areas of study: reflexive postcolonial, critical geography, and multimodal European ethnology. Within the exploration of postcolonial studies, I re-introduce the concept of Liminality to the migratory context. This conceptual shift has the potential to politicize Liminality and states of inbetweenness through the agency of people-in-transit, challenging the constraints imposed by current border regimes. As my research progresses in the The Dzjangal, Tiburtina and Los Arenales, I address the implications of contemporary border regimes, particularly in the establishment of what are termed "refugee camps." These places have been labeled as "non-places"(Augé), "places of exception"(Agamben), and "peripheral places" (Gregory). Despite this marginalization, these places have developed alternative urban models and methods of placemaking, resisting categorization. This Dissertation examines the political and social strategies of transforming so-called non-places to social places, which have fostered alternative ways of life that actively contribute to the urban fabric.
Methodologically, I explore the intersection of art and anthropology, emphasizing artistic practice as multimodal ethnography. Using methods such as sound ethnography, listening and critical walking as research tools, I argue for the potential of the entanglement between artistic practices and ethnography as methods for the fieldwork. I explore the multisensory and affective nature of these practices to develop critical and political engagement methods in migratory settings beyond traditional ethnography rooted in colonial legacies. Drawing on my transdisciplinary background, particularly my approach to anthropology through my artistic training, I analyze the emerging collaboration between art and anthropology, which holds potential value in contemporary discussions on multimodal and experimental ethnography in the social sciences.
Through multisensory practices, this dissertation investigated the different autonomous migration strategies of "placemaking" and "relation-making" (Simone) in The Dzjangal, Tiburtina and Los Arenales. These autonomous migratory strategies challenged the symbolic and geographical borders of the city, aiming to redefine the contemporary urban landscape and its inclusivity. These communities have fostered resilient and interconnected networks that bear witness to the inherent strength of diversity in today's societies.
Titled "Somewhere Inbetween: From So-Called Non-Places Towards Social Places," this dissertation examines three self-built settlements in Europe and South America. The settlements: The Dzjangal in Calais (France), Tiburtina in Rome (Italy), and Los Arenales in Antofagasta (Chile), were established by communities-in-transit and remained self-organized. The inhabitants transformed empty urban zones into places (Massey) and neighborhoods through alternative placemaking. I explore how these so-called non-places change and evolve into social places and how the concept of Liminality (Van Gennep, Turner), along with the state of inbetweenness —both geographically and affectively between borders—might have play a role in their transformation. My inquiry includes questions such as: How did these autonomously occupied places create convivial and solidary places despite encountering violent interactions with border regimes? How did they pursue alternative ways of living and redefining the city through the occupation of urban spaces?
This PhD dissertation delves into three main areas of study: reflexive postcolonial, critical geography, and multimodal European ethnology. Within the exploration of postcolonial studies, I re-introduce the concept of Liminality to the migratory context. This conceptual shift has the potential to politicize Liminality and states of inbetweenness through the agency of people-in-transit, challenging the constraints imposed by current border regimes. As my research progresses in the The Dzjangal, Tiburtina and Los Arenales, I address the implications of contemporary border regimes, particularly in the establishment of what are termed "refugee camps." These places have been labeled as "non-places"(Augé), "places of exception"(Agamben), and "peripheral places" (Gregory). Despite this marginalization, these places have developed alternative urban models and methods of placemaking, resisting categorization. This Dissertation examines the political and social strategies of transforming so-called non-places to social places, which have fostered alternative ways of life that actively contribute to the urban fabric.
Methodologically, I explore the intersection of art and anthropology, emphasizing artistic practice as multimodal ethnography. Using methods such as sound ethnography, listening and critical walking as research tools, I argue for the potential of the entanglement between artistic practices and ethnography as methods for the fieldwork. I explore the multisensory and affective nature of these practices to develop critical and political engagement methods in migratory settings beyond traditional ethnography rooted in colonial legacies. Drawing on my transdisciplinary background, particularly my approach to anthropology through my artistic training, I analyze the emerging collaboration between art and anthropology, which holds potential value in contemporary discussions on multimodal and experimental ethnography in the social sciences.
Through multisensory practices, this dissertation investigated the different autonomous migration strategies of "placemaking" and "relation-making" (Simone) in The Dzjangal, Tiburtina and Los Arenales. These autonomous migratory strategies challenged the symbolic and geographical borders of the city, aiming to redefine the contemporary urban landscape and its inclusivity. These communities have fostered resilient and interconnected networks that bear witness to the inherent strength of diversity in today's societies.