Mediterranean migrants and refugees : historical and political continuities and discontinuities

Abstract

Far from the 'space of mobility' once described by Fernand Braudel, the Mediterranean has become a 'space of crisis' where migrants and refugees risk their lives to reach Europe. The crisis narrative however is oblivious of the fact that the Mediterranean has always been a region of migration. This chapter shows that previous policies have built irregularity as a defining feature of the Mediterranean migratory regime. The securitization and the externalization of EU migration policies in the region have contributed to crystalizing this feature. The chapter also emphasizes that in the post-Arab uprisings period, EU policy continues to be risk averse.