Topographies of 'Borderland Schengen' : Documental Images of Undocumented Migration in European Borderlands

Analysing recent documentary films dealing with undocumented migration at the Schengen Area's fringes and against the backdrop of what has been termed the `European refugee crisis', Jan Kühnemund investigates the interface between migration discourses and image discourses. As an analytical framework, he conceptualises `Borderland Schengen' as a visual-political transnational space emerging from the interplay of migration movements and border policies. Putting the spaces and iconologies of `illegal' migration under scrutiny and aiming at establishing their protagonists as subjects, Kühnemund in this regard reads the films as attempts at discursive participation as an aesthetic political practice. Long description: Analysing recent documentary films dealing with undocumented migration at the Schengen Area's fringes and against the backdrop of what has been termed the 'sEuropean refugee crisis', Jan Kühnemund investigates the interface between migration discourses and image discourses. As an analytical framework, he conceptualises 'sBorderland Schengen' as a visual-political transnational space emerging from the interplay of migration movements and border policies. Putting the spaces and iconologies of 'sillegal' migration under scrutiny and aiming at establishing their protagonists as subjects, Kühnemund in this regard reads the films as attempts at discursive participation as an aesthetic political practice Biographical note: Jan Kühnemund (Dr.), born in 1975, completed his PhD at Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). He also holds an MA degree in Political Science, Visual Media, and English. He works at Europa-Universität Flensburg. From 2010 to 2017, he was part of the team coordinating the African-European Erasmus Mundus Course European Master in Migration and Intercultural Relations at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. Occasionally he also works as a freelance journalist Contents 1. Introduction Part 1: “Borderland Schengen” 2. Coordinates 3. The Transnational Social Space of “Borderland Schengen” Part 2: Borderland Visualities 4. The Visuality and Mediality of Documentary Film 5. Representational and Performative Practices 6. Attempts of Visibility and Recognition 7. Transnational Social Spaces - Transitional Social Spaces 8. Conclusion: Borderland Counter-Topographies Filmography Bibliography Quote: Besprochen in: Eidgenössische Migrationskommission EKM, 4 (2018)