Global citizens, exotic others, and unwanted migrants: mobilities in and of Europe

This article reflects on Europe's problematic relationship with its 'others', asking in particular how the idea of the 'exotic' - constituting one of Europe's 'imperial ruins' - intersects with the figure of the Muslim migrant. The Muslim migrant has in the pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Identities (Yverdon, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2018-05, Vol.25 (3), p.302-319
Main Author: Loftsdóttir, Kristín
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Black people
Citizens
Civilization
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitanism
Discourses
Equality
Europe
exotic
Exoticism
Human rights
Imperialism
Income
Islam
migrant
Migrants
Migration
Mobility
Muslim
Muslims
Otherness
WoDaaBe
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Summary:This article reflects on Europe's problematic relationship with its 'others', asking in particular how the idea of the 'exotic' - constituting one of Europe's 'imperial ruins' - intersects with the figure of the Muslim migrant. The Muslim migrant has in the present become in Europe a potent marker of otherness, which reflects how some cosmopolitan aspirations are perceived negatively in European discourses, revealing how mobility itself is racilized and gendered. WoDaaBe Fulani migrants from Niger have historically occupied a subject position in Europe as identified with 'the exotic'. The article discusses WoDaaBe temporary migration to Europe to supplement their income back home, and their intersecting positions as 'exotic', as Muslims and black Africans. While contemporary discourses tend to highlight Europe's status as a site of equality, human rights, and cradle of civilization, some bodies are welcome within the space of Europe while others are not.
ISSN:1070-289X
1547-3384
DOI:10.1080/1070289X.2016.1233879