Project title

People and Borders

Research question

How has border violence at the European external borders become normalised, and which institutional, political, and psychological mechanisms sustain it?

Project description

Romy van Baarsen examines how violence at the European borders becomes normalised, and what happens to the rule of law when protection becomes conditional and violence bureaucratic.

From her position as a journalist and writer, she explores how institutions such as Frontex, EU member states, and policy frameworks shape a complex system in which responsibility can become diffuse. The book project combines fieldwork, interviews, and document analysis with philosophical reflection and literary narrative form.

The style moves between narrative and essayistic. Central to the work are moral questions: who is responsible, and what remains of our democratic values when principles such as non-refoulement (a fundamental principle of international law that prohibits a country from returning asylum seekers or refugees to a country where they would face serious threats to their life or freedom) come under pressure?

Van Baarsen will use her time at NIAS for in-depth exploration, interdisciplinary dialogue, and the reflective distance necessary to sharpen this project — both thematically and stylistically.

Selected publications