European governments adopted inhuman, unlawful, and ineffective border security measures in the name of citizens allegedly frightened by migrants. Yet the empirical evidence offered by Nick Vaughan-Williams suggests that anti-migrant narratives originated at the top rather than at the bottom of societal ladders, aggravating anxieties among European citizens. The book points to counter-narratives embracing cultures of hospitality, rebuffing fantasies of walls and wired borders. These findings are not likely to deter populist politicians, but they should offer food for thought to moderate ones and to mass-media gurus eager to talk on behalf of 'ordinary people' without engaging in genuine conversation with them. I strongly recommend this book to all concerned citizens.
Nick Vaughan-Williams, Professor of International Security, University of Warwick
Nick Vaughan-Williams is Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick, UK. He is a recipient of the Philip Leverhulme Prize for outstanding research in Politics and International Studies and the Association for Borderlands Studies Past Presidents' Gold Award. His research on the international politics of borders, security, and migration has been funded by the British Academy, UK Economic and Social Research Council, and Leverhulme Trust. His publications include Europe's Border Crisis (OUP, 2015) and Border Politics (Edinburgh University Press, 2009).