Date of Graduation

Spring 5-16-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

International Studies

First Advisor

Nora Fisher Onar

Second Advisor

Olivier Bercault

Abstract

Serving as both a barrier and a bridge that connects Africa and Europe, the Mediterranean is today the focal point of global controversies around migration, where humanitarian interests balance against border policing and meet securitization policies. This thesis examines the questions: How do irregular migrants adapt, interpret, and maneuver around securitized Moroccan and Italian migration policies, and what do their strategies tell us about the relationship between humanitarianism and securitization in Mediterranean bordering processes? Drawing on qualitative evidence, including expert interviews with organization employees and volunteers in Morocco and Italy (Fondazione Solidarietà Caritas, Nosotras Onlus, and Caritas Maroc), field observation, and document analysis, this study explores migration as a negotiation strategy rather than a passive process. Migrants are represented as actors in a complex environment of externalized border control, exclusionary legal regimes, and constrained humanitarian intervention. The study identifies the inconsistencies in the governance of migration policies, such as the disconnect between the intention and outcome of policy, especially as these apply to human rights. The interview and case study data identify recurring patterns of non-recognition and non-protection by the law, notably against African migrants, such as those subjected to labor exploitation, social exclusion, and gender-related vulnerabilities. Policy implementation analysis illustrates how the securitization discourse, often under pressure from the EU and public opinion, is at odds with the everyday existence of displaced individuals, who resist, adapt, and assert dignity despite psychological, social, and corporeal threats. Arguing thus, this study suggests that migration must be understood as a negotiated dynamic process that shapes both state power and migrant agency. The thesis closes with policy recommendations on decriminalizing irregular migration, promoting compliance with human rights standards, and creating more humane and responsive migration governance in the Mediterranean.

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