Smallness and security : territorial exclusion and opportunistic inclusion

Abstract

Smallness and islandness suggest vulnerability and deficiency of resources. The so-called migration ‘crisis’ meets both these concerns. Yet, as the small island state of Malta prides itself on its resilience and altruism, within a context of exceptional economic growth and notable employment rates, it fails to realise even its basic international obligations. This paper analyses the issue of Malta’s recent securitisation of asylum-seeking migration through the lens of class and race. The securitisation of migration profits the corporate and political elite, who benefit from exploitative work, reinforcing Malta’s national and European influence, whilst enlarging its receipt of migration funds, and deploying illegalised migrants as scapegoats. The paper argues that the current security approach is both contradictory and unsustainable and has contributed to increased inequalities, injustices and exploitation. For refugees, ‘security’ policies of increased deterrence, pushbacks and incarceration have directly increased uncertainty, institutionalized racism and loss of life as their dehumanization spirals into three other sectors of socio-economic life: criminal justice, health and occupational accidents. This paper uses an emancipatory and transformative justice framework to examine the discourses in contrast with the realities on the ground; it offers critical insights into Malta’s use of territorial exclusion and opportunistic inclusion in the management of migration.