Discourse or merely noise? Regarding the disagreement on undocumented migrants

European Journal of Migration and Law

Volumn 12, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 173-191

  Gunneflo, Markus ^a   Selberg, Niklas ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

dissensus; European Union (EU); Jacques Ranci re; labour unions; performative contradiction; Sweden; Undocumented migrants

Indexed keywords

EID: 77956353838     PISSN: 1388364X     EISSN: 15718166     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1163/157181610X496867     Document Type: Article

References (77)

1. The term 'undocumented migrant' (in French; sans papiers, in Swedish; papperslös) has become the most commonly used term for the protagonist of this paper and is also the term under which the persons concerned themselves unite (see e.g. The French organisation 9ème collectif des sans-papiers at 9emecollectif.net/, visited 21 July 2009 and the Swedish organisation Papperslösa Stockholm www. dennaonsdag.org/Denna%20Onsdag/Denna%20Onsdag. html, visited 21 July 2009
2. As remarked by Jacques Derrida the term signals that these persons are lacking or are without something. "Lacking would be what the alleged document or paper represents. The right, the right to a right." J. Derrida, 'Derelictions of The Right to Justice (But What are the Sans-papiers Lacking?)', in Elizabeth Rottenberg (ed.), Negiotiations: Interventions and interviews 1971-2001 (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2002).
3. See the web page of Papperslösa Stockholm at: www.dennaonsdag.org/ Denna%20Onsdag/ Denna%20 Onsdag.html, visited 21 July 2009.
4. J. Rancière, Disagreement: Politics and Philosophy (Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press, 1999).
5. Ibid., p. 28.
6. Ibid., p. 29.
7. D. Panagia & J. Rancière, 'Dissenting Words: A Conversation with Jacques Rancière', 30 Diacritics (2000), p. 123.
8. The French term 'partage' is one of the terms that Rancière returns to in different contexts and whose different meanings cannot be made justice by any one translation. Thus 'partage' may be understood as partition, division, but also sharing, of which the last captures the essentially common experience of any given "partition of the sensible" A. Parker, 'Editors preface', in A. Parker (ed.), The Philosopher and His Poor (Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2003), pp. vii-viii.
9. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 29.
10. J. Rancière, 'Ten Theses on Politics', 5 Theory & Event (2001), thesis 7.
11. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 29.
12. M. Dillon, 'A Passion for the (Im)possible: Jacques Rancière, Equality, Pedagogy and the Messianic', 4 European Journal of Political Theory (2005), pp. 429-454, at p. 431.
13. Cf. R. Van Munster, 'Jacques Rancière', in J. Edkins and N. Vaughan-Williams (eds.), Critical Theorists and International Relations (London and New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 269.
14. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 29.
15. Ibid., p. 27.
16. Ibid., p. 35. On Rancière's particular use of the notion of 'subjectification' see T. May, The Political Thought of Jacques Rancière, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008), pp. 70-71.
17. Rancière, supra note 3, pp. 29-30.
18. Ibid., p. 30.
19. Ibid,.
20. Supra note 3, p. 17, see also J. Rancière, 'Afterword to The English-Language Edition (2002)', in A. Parker (ed.), The Philosopher and His Poor (Durham and London: Duke University Press 2003), p. 223. The distinction between passive and active equality is Todd May's.
21. T. May, The Political Thought of Jacques Rancière, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008).
22. Rancière, supra note 6, p. 124.
23. J. Rancière, 'Who Is the Subject of the Rights of Man?', 103 South Atlantic Quarterly (2004), p. 304.
24. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 124.
25. At the beginning of Disagreement Rancière retells and analyses Herodotus' tale of the Scythian slaves. In fact, this tale provides somewhat of a background to his development of police and politics and he also return to the Scythian slaves at numerous occasions in developing these concepts (Rancière, supra note 3, pp. 12-13, 24, 27, 30-31). This provides a poignant point of communication between the present article and the contribution of Gregor Noll to this special issue 12(2) European Journal of Migration and Law (2010) 241-272.
26. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 41.
27. Ibid., p. 41.
28. Supra note 21, p. 302.
29. Ibid., p. 303.
30. Ibid., p. 302.
31. Cf. E. Van Den Hemel, 'Included But not Belonging, Badiou and Rancière on Human Rights', Issue 3 Krisis - Journal for Contemporary Philosophy (2008) www.krisis.eu.
32. Directive 2009/52/EC of The European Parliament and The Council of 18 June 2009 providing for minimum standards on sanctions and measures against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals, OJ 2009 L 168 30.6.09.
33. Ibid., recital para. 2. See also the original Commission Proposal: Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council providing for sanctions against employers of illegally staying thirdcountry nationals (COM (2007) 249 final), p. 2.
34. Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council providing for sanctions against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals (COM (2007) 249 final), p. 2.
35. Ibid., p. 3.
36. In this context it is worth mentioning that Chapter 20 Section 5 of the Swedish Aliens Act (2005:716) criminalised the employment of a person without work permit even before Directive 2009/52/EC entered into force.
37. Landsorganisationen i Sverige, LOs 26:e Kongress 2008. Kongressprotokoll del 2, p. 540.
38. Supra note 32, p. 2.
39. Directive 2008/115/EC of The European Parliament and The Council of 16 December 2008 on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals, OJ 2008 L 348 24.12.08.
40. Aliens Act (2005:716).
41. The exclusion of undocumented migrants from the scope of application of the amendment legislation is highlighted in a motion from the Left Party of Sweden (Vänsterpartiet). The Left Party of Sweden labelled the government proposal a deceit against the undocumented migrants and argued amongst other things for a stronger position for undocumented migrants on the labour market, the right to healthcare and schooling for children as well as a "right" to residence permit. With regard to the specific proposal of the government the Left Party of Sweden argued that it would be completely unreasonable to exclude undocumented migrants from the possibility of applying for a residence permit in a system with expanded possibilities of immigration of foreign labour given that this would mean that persons already living and working in Sweden would be expelled while at the same time other foreigners would be "imported" to do the same work (Motion 2007/08:Sf27).
42. Government Bill 2007/08:147, p. 47.
43. Ibid., pp. 47-48.
44. G. Noll, 'The Asylum System, Migrant Networks and the Informal Labour Market', in P. Cramér and T. Bull (eds.), 2 Swedish Studies in European Law (Oxford and Portland: Hart Publishing, 2008), p. 13.
45. Ibid,.
46. L. Granestrand, 'Papperslös i Sverige - en dag med Sarwar', Dagens Nyheter, 1 June 2008. www. dn.se/nyheter/sverige/papperslos-i-sverige-en-dag- med-sarwar-1.772267, visited 22 July 2009.
47. The entire hearing can be watched at the web page of the social security committee: www.riksdagen. se/templates/R-ExternalPage-3383.aspx?op=anf&anf= 1110809230062164912, vi sited 22 July 2009.
48. The webpage of Papperslösa Stockholm: www.dennaonsdag.org/ Denna%20Onsdag/Plattform.html, visited 22 July 2009.
49. Ibid,.
50. Noll, supra note 42, p. 14.
51. B. Frank and K. Lindquist, 'Arbetsrätt eller papper först? Papperslösa oeniga om hur kampen ska föras', Arbetaren, 28 November 2007.
52. R. Fahlbeck, Nothing Succeeds Like Success. Trade Unionism in Sweden, (Juristförlaget i Lund, Lund, 1999) passim.
53. Supra note 35, pp. 536 and 543.
54. Ibid,.
55. I.e., the Court's decision to prolong an employment contract in cases of unfair dismissal. Labour Court Case AD 1979 no 90. Other aspects of the employment contract might be upheld by the Court. See on this matter the contribution of Inghammar in this issue; 12(2) European Journal of Migration and Law (2010) 193-214.
56. That is work performed under a contract of employment. See e.g. Government Bill 1998/99:90 p. 14.
57. See the web page of Fackligt Center för Papperslösa. www.fcfp.se, visited on 22 July 2009.
58. Ibid,.
59. Supra note 30.
60. In this context it is worth mentioning that a recent article in the magazine Mana reports that undocumented migrants are not satisfied with the services provided by the centre. The undocumented migrants claim that they have been excluded from negotiations regarding their situation at workplaces and that the centre has not been able to help them with relevant information. It is furthermore reported that the centre lacks funding and that the connection to LO and the Social Democratic Party contributes to the lack of enthusiasm for issues concerning the situation for undocumented migrants. "Papperslö sa hoppar av", Aida Ghardagian, Mana nr. 4-5 2009.
61. R. Warlenius, 'Civil olydnad i kamp för papperslösa', Arbetaren, 7 April 2004.
62. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 27.
63. See further supra note 3, p. 16.
64. J. Rancière et al. 'Democracy, Dissensus and the aesthetics of class struggle: An exchange with Jacques Rancière', 13 Historical Materialism (2005), p. 292.
65. Ibid., p. 291.
66. Ibid., p. 292.
67. Ibid., p. 292.
68. J. Butler & G.C. Spivak, Who Sings The Nation-State? Language, Politics, Belonging (London, New York and Calcutta: Seagull Books, 2007), p. 63.
69. Ibid., pp. 67-68.
70. This motif can be found elsewhere in Butler's thought. Thus, as noticed by Christina Masters, the importance that Butler places with drag in e.g. Gender Trouble lies not in the appropriating of or paroding with gender norms but instead in the moment of uncertainty, of not knowing rather than knowing whether one is confronting a man or a woman, the unsettling of the very categories through which one sees man and woman. C. Masters, 'Judith Butler', in J. Edkins and N. Vaughan-Williams (eds.), Critical Theorists and International Relations (London and New York: Routledge, 2009), p. 119-120.
71. Cf. J. Butler, Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, (New York and London: Routledge, 1999), p. xxii.
72. J. Butler, Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (New York and London: Routledge, 1999), p. xxiii.
73. J. Rancière, 'A Few Remarks on the Method of Jacques Rancière', 15:3 Parallax (2009), p. 119.
74. Butler, supra note 69, p. xxiii.
75. Rancière, supra note 3, p. 34.
76. Ibid., p. 33.
77. Ibid,.