Social Harm at the Border by Francesca Soliman

Social Harm at the Border by Francesca Soliman

This book offers a zemiological approach for understanding border control practices, state power, and their social impact. Drawing on an ethnographic study on the borderisation of the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, it explores border harms from the perspective of the non-migrant community.

Social Harm at the Border examines a range of social harms associated with border control, and draws on themes of security, racialised humanitarianism, economic harms, environment, and culture. It explores the ways in which borderisation exercises control over both migrants and non-migrants, ensuring that border communities remain subordinated to the power of institutional actors, and it offers a novel framework with which to illuminate and explain border harms and their generative mechanisms.

An accessible and compelling read, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, zemiology, sociology, criminal justice, politics, geography, and those interested in the harms caused by border control practices.

The nexus between borders, harm and criminology has harvested complex debatesIn this richly conceptual and empirical text, Francesca Soliman addresses substantive gaps so we can better understand and progress discussion and action from a solid zemiological perspective. Essential for anyone interested in the prolific harms of borders, and their human and environmental costs.'

Victoria Canning, Associate Professor in Criminology, University of Bristol

'Francesca Soliman’s book presents an engaging and vivid account of various social harms that can occur within border spaces. It challenges standard criminological thinking on what constitutes harmful behaviour, who is responsible for it, who is affected by such acts and in what ways, and how we should think and respond to them. The books is eloquent and effortless, and presents an original and indispensable contribution to the field of zemiology.'

Milena Tripkovic, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Edinburgh

Francesca Soliman is Lecturer in Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University UK.