The presence of abandonment: Left to live at the borderland of Lampedusa

Corso, Alessandro; Mookherjee, Nayanika

Abstract

Drawing from the extensive literature on the anthropology of borders and border death in and beyond Europe, this article ethnographically explores the processes through which irregular migrants and locals at the borderland of Lampedusa (south of Sicily, Italy) are left to live and die in abandonment. In the process, we highlight the distinct and antagonistic yet shared sense of neglect that both migrants and locals experience in their everyday lives on the island and explore the relationship between abandonment, the everyday, and the law, showing how these are interwoven. By including both irregular migrants and locals in Lampedusa in our analysis, the article importantly establishes how abandonment occurs not in the absence but in the indeterminacy of the law and highlights a chronic failure of the law toward life (deemed as legal and illegal). It moves beyond traditional anthropological critiques on state presence and absence, showing how abandonment pervades everyday life within and beyond borders.

Citation

Corso, A., & Mookherjee, N. (2024). The presence of abandonment: Left to live at the borderland of Lampedusa. American Anthropologist, 126(4), 622-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.28016

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 19, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Sep 11, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-12
• Deposit Date: Mar 19, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 20, 2024
• Journal: American Anthropologist
• Print ISSN: 0002-7294
• Electronic ISSN: 1548-1433
• Publisher: American Anthropological Association
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 126
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 622-634
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.28016
• Keywords: death, borders, abandonment, Lampedusa, life
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2333203