UNSPECIFIED (2005) Contingent borders, ambiguous ethics: Migrants in (international) political theory. INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, 49 (2). pp. 233-253. ISSN 0020-8833

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Abstract

The article engages a critical analysis of liberal theory in the context of transnational migration. Normative arguments provided by liberal-cosmopolitan and liberal-communitarian authors are contrasted. While sympathetic to such approaches, we argue that traditional liberal theory has attempted to downplay the contingency and resultant ambiguity of many of its moral precepts. Historically contingent borders underpin neat universal categories like "citizen" and "refugee," which fail to reflect the diverse and contested experiences of migration. But such ambiguities need not undermine liberal approaches. Indeed, a proper engagement with the problematic and uncertain realities of migration can provide a spur to a more thoroughgoing ethical praxis. We draw on the philosophical pragmatism of Richard Rorty to outline an approach to migration that remains open to the contingent construction of terms like "migrant,""refugee," and "asylum-seeker." By extending Rorty's concept of sentimental education, we provide an imaginative and politically challenging set of agendas for the ethics of migration.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	J Political Science > JZ International relations J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Journal or Publication Title:	INTERNATIONAL STUDIES QUARTERLY
Publisher:	BLACKWELL PUBLISHERS
ISSN:	0020-8833
Date:	June 2005
Volume:	49
Number:	2
Number of Pages:	21
Page Range:	pp. 233-253
Publication Status:	Published
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/7183

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