Post-truth and demographics in the “refugee crisis”. The thanatopolitical “pleat” in the European Union (DOI: 10.2436/20.3000.02.49)

Abstract

Demographic pressure, along with the threat of nationalism and xenophobic populist movements, has become part of the story in which the so-called refugee crisis is threatening the architecture of the European Union, starting with the Schengen Treaty. This story is considered a “post-truth” construct which conceals the fact that the crisis is the outcome of a migration policy designed to be subordinate to the desire for an ideal unified labour market detached from the reality of real migratory flows. This policy has given increasing berth to security and fear, which has legitimised inaction in the face of the humanitarian tragedy caused by what we call here “thanatopolitics.” This article analyses the use of the demographic argument, the role of Schengen in the construction of Fortress Europe and the refugee policy, and the emotional mobilisation of public opinion during the crisis based on a selection of the most frequently reproduced images in the summer of 2015. 

Key words: migration policy, refugee, European Union, geopolitics, post-truth.

Original source: Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Geografia, 85: 9-30 (2018)