resources
learn and grow with me.
we have so much left to understand about borders. here’s my library of resources i’d recommend to others. it starts from ‘accessible’ and ends with ‘challenging’.
Podcasts
(click the images!)
(1 episode)
“Stand Clear of the Closing Doors” by This American Life. Ira Glass (wonderful host) discusses the "welcoming" of migrants in NYC. Very human stories of migrating to a place where the institutions work against you.
“The Border Trilogy“ by Radiolab. Always Radiolab is wonderfully produced: this is no exception. A joy to listen to, and enlightening. Especially part 2 about the usage of ‘nature’ to punish migrants, was enlightening to me.
(3 episodes)
(made an Instagram Reel about this one)
“The Trojan Horse Affair” by Serial & the NYT. An award-winning series exploring British Islamophobia and our socialised views of Islam. Gripping, informative and moving.
(8 episodes)
(10 episodes)
“Mother Country Radicals” by Crooked Media. A series about state suppression of revolutionary ideas. It is on this list, because it made me see the state as inherently against meaningful progress.
“187: Borders” and “248: Not a Nation of Immigrants” by Srsly Wrong. 2 anarchists discuss borders and migration. I think it’s an excellent show in general, you should listen. Some episodes are tedious; most are good.
(2 episodes; big show)
“De Verbranders”. A bilingual podcast focussed on the EU’s borders, recommended by MiGreat. The title is a translation of the word ‘Haraga’, the Arabic word meaning ‘the burning of borders’. Deeply radical and informative content.
(a show)
Books
👆🔗
my video
“My Fourth Time, We Drowned” by Sally Hayden. An accessible entry into a world most of us (including myself) know little about: crossing the Mediterranean (world’s deadliest border) sea. Deeply unjust and heart wrenching stories about the reality of the EUs migration policies. I recommend this book to start with if you’re interested in the topic of borders/migration.
“Against Borders: The Case for Abolition” by Bradley and Noronha. Divided in 7 chapters, it gave me a theoretical/factual introduction into how borders are recent, and how deeply they intrude into our lives. A main learning point is that borders aren’t only physical, but extend much further. Did I like it very much? No, not particularly. It’s a book filled with a lot of specifics, which I tend to quickly forget. I prefer books that draw long arguments, like the one coming up:
“Humanitarian Borders: Unequal Mobility and Saving Lives” by Polly Pallister-Wilkins. Working at a border and reading this book was so enlightening! She talks about how ‘humanitarianism’ and ‘aid’ kind of depoliticise and naturalise borders. Like, by not questioning the violence that happens at borders, and just responding to it, you legitimise the border. If you do any sort of ‘border work’ with NGOs, this is a must-read.
👆🔗
my video
“Mijn Ontelbare Identiteiten” van Sinan Çankaya. Een toegankelijk boek waarin hij zijn eigen leven als leidraad neemt om Nederlandse vormen van uitsluiting uit te leggen. Uit allerlei interacties blijkt dat hem een identiteit wordt opgelegd, die nooit onder zijn eigen controle valt. Dan is hij een “Turk”, dan een “Nederlander”, dan een “Intellectueel”. Geeft een goede instap in hoe Nederland ervaren wordt door een groot deel van de inwoners.
👆🔗
my video
“What is Antiracism? And Why It Means Anticapitalism” by Arun Kundnani. Oh my god, friends. This book. Sometimes you read a book that is paradigm-shifting. For me, that’s been reading Hickel, Kimmerer, and now Kundnani. An argumentative book that rewrites history. It explained 21st century Western society in a new way (for me). While it was a bit tricky for me to get through, it was 100% worth it. I recommend intensely.
“Border & Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism” by Harsha Walia. Dense, for sure. Long, too. Very detailed, but perhaps the most extensive book that covers borders. The history of them, and how they underpin and buttress the current world order. The book is divided into chapters exploring different borders all across the world: EU, US, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and more. A theoretically rich read for those looking for a critical academic overview of borders!
“The Muslims are Coming! Islamophobia, Extremism and the Domestic War on Terror” by, again… Arun Kundnani. Friends, I’m not kidding. This man will change the way you view the “tolerant” west, the narratives we tell ourselves, the shortcomings of media, and more. In investigating islamophobia, he lays bare how tools of surveillance against Muslims inevitably strengthen the state’s ability to monitor the wider population for (leftist) discontent. He rips on “radicalisation” theory as being a purely individual proces and instead argues terrorism is a political response to (amongst others) western presence in the Middle East.
Films & Documentaries &
Films & Documentaries &
Shadow Game, 2021
Getting into the E.U. is referred to as “the game”. You try over, and over, and over again. This documentary shows how that “game” looks like, by following different boys as they undergo the experiences of crossing deadly borders. Together with My Fourth Time, We Drowned, it shows how the world of crossing E.U’s borders actually looks like.
5 Broken Cameras, 2011
Stunned after watching Emad get his cameras broken, one after another, by the violence of the Israeli state. If you want to see how a “border” looks like up close, this is a must-see. There’s a lot in these 94 minutes, as this Palestinian community goes through all peaceful options to protest the wall, only to be met by perpetual violence, humiliation and dehumanisation.
Frontlinie (NL series)
Deze serie, met ruim 30 afleveringen (gratis op NPO) leert mij ontzettend veel over de onderbelichte conflicten. I love Bram Vermeulen. Vrijwel zonder uitzondering zijn het kijktips, maar deze vond ik extra de moeite waard: Eenzaam Europa, Gelukszoekers, en Groene Apartheid.
The Power of Nightmares: The Rise of the Politics of Fear (2004)
Adam Curtis is a weird guy. His documentaries are truly iconic for their style. This one is no exception. Told in 3 parts, it tells the story of the “war on terror”. About how Al-Qaida was invented by the US and UK, how Muslims were turned into the ideal enemy, and how it legitimised years of state-led terrorism.
📽️
Video collection
Stopping a deportation
5-minute video in which I discuss the relatively ‘straightforward’ way to stop a deportation. all airplane flights can be deportation flights: also yours. more elaborate information can be sourced from MiGreat (info@migreat.org).
Forcibly signing “voluntary return agreements”
Filmed during my time in South Bulgaria, I report on the staff in the refugee camp pressuring Syrians into returning home. After Assad’s regime had fallen, we heard stories of this happening to Syrians all across Europe!
Antifascism, Yugoslavia, then & now.
Filmed in the abandoned monument dedicated to antifascist resistance of Petrova Gora, Croatia. With the curtailment of protesting rights, the stripping away of rights from all citizens, increased surveillance: I believe we have seen and are seeing the signs of fascism all around us. The fact that this antifascist monument sits abandoned and is explicitly targeted, speaks to our times.
Leftist parties & xenophobia
If only the evil of the 21st century were the fascist and racist parties currently in power. Sadly, I argue this isn’t the case. The leftist parties we vote for have contributed to this hostile environment as well, and in these 5 minutes, I explain how.