Description

‘A must-read manifesto for border abolition’ – gal-dem

Borders are more than geographical lines – they impact all our lives, whether it’s the inhumanity of deportations, or a rise in racist attacks in the wake of the EU referendum. Border Nation shows how oppressive borders must be resisted.

Laying bare the web of media myths that vilify migrants, Leah Cowan dives into the murky waters of corporate profiteering from borders by companies like G4S, and the ramping up of everyday borders through legislation. She looks at their colonial origins, and explores how a draconian approach to border crossings damages our communities.

As borders multiply, so too must resistance. From demonstrations inside detention centres to migrant-led campaigns and acts of cross-border solidarity, people are fighting back to stand up for everyone’s freedom to move.

Publisher Review

'A fantastically succinct primer on the violence of our bordered world, and a powerful invitation to join with people at the sharpest end of that violence' -- Gracie Bradley, interim Director at Liberty 'Passionate and laser sharp, Cowan not only exposes how greed, racism and hypocrisy work over generations to wall people out of Britain but also gives us tools to dig tunnels under those walls' -- Professor Bridget Anderson, Director of Migration Mobilities Bristol and Professor of Migration, Mobilities and Citizenship, University of Bristol 'Cowan brings the very notion of a border into sharp focus in this meticulous and compassionate manifesto' -- Juno Mac, co-author of Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight For Sex Workers' Rights (Verso, 2020) 'A powerful indictment of borders and border regimes that lays bare the story of how they emerged, how they exercise a tenacious hold on our imagination, and how they enact lethal violence on so many' -- Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of Cambridge 'An accessible, well-researched and indispensable guide, myth-busting at every turn, and charting not just the origins of these violent realities, but of equal importance, how we can dismantle them' -- Joshua Virasami, author of 'How To Change It: Make a Difference' (Merky Books, 2020) 'Powerful' -- Nikesh Shukla, editor of 'The Good Immigrant' (Unbound, 2017)