THEME 3. RESISTANCE, ACTORS, MOVEMENTS AND COLLECTIVE ACTIONS

Over the last decades, international and internal migrations have transformed not only because of the raise in numbers, but also because of the political relevance it has acquired for national states. Against a growing visibility of restrictive and punitive political positions regarding some of these flows, as well as a violent environment for some migrants within the places of destination, diverse forms of collective actions have emerged led by multiple actors. They seeks, on the one hand, to foster, accompany and protect the way for these people, while at the same time transforming the political, social, and economic structure that exclude and discriminate against them in their societies of origin, as well as in those of transit and arrival. To this purpose, Michel Foucault argued that where power was found, there could also potentially be a resistance “as resourceful, as mobile, and as productive as ’it’.”[1]

In that regard, the following axel invites to dialogue between diverse voices so that their experiences of collective action, resistance, and fight against diverse forms of violence and racism (in their ideological and behavioral[2] dimensions) can be shared. These practices are expressions against deportation and border policies, exclusion and everyday habits that, behind the politically correct façade, reveal a deep and impregnated discrimination against the foreign. The voices that will be put in this dialogue are those of migrants and their organizations, activists, communities, academics, artists, women, the youth, sexual diversity, and everyone that considers themselves to be part of the context of resistance against an oppressive migratory situation.

Collective actions are built from diverse shapes and fights that include coalitions, migrant associations, homegrown clubs, demonstrations, caravans, rallies, experiences in alternative media, digital activism, artistic expressions (collective and individual), communities that foster migrants in their journey, shelters, sanctuary cities, religious organizations, universities and tribunals. Said actions, and others that were not mentioned, can emerge on a local level, in transit or in the place of destination. All of them include, within their repertoires, claims of different natures: fighting for the theft of wages or salaries; decent labor, as well as labor, educational and health rights; actions against deportations, fighting towards citizenship; search of missing family members; anti-Semitic fights; anti-hegemonic proposals; etc.

In the framework of the WSFM 2018, the purpose of this axel is to give a place and space to these resistances in all of their shapes or forms. Their focus and forms of expression will be varied and multiple, but we will look to implement a prevalent local approach as a way to look towards the global, from the voices of testimonies of all different actors, and the tactics against the powers from their revolutionary potential as resistances. The purpose is to inform and educate a wide array of people about these topics and to answer questions about the struggles and battles migrants face, their concrete possibilities, the judiciary system in this regard, agencies and societies in trans-national contexts, the roll of collective actions of migrants in political transformations, art as a form of resistance, and the peculiarities that exists between the actors that lead said battles.

[1] Foucault, Michel, 1994, “No al sexo rey. Entrevista por Bernard Henry-Levy”, en Un diálogo sobre el poder, Barcelona: Altaya, p. 162.

[2] Todorov, Tzvetan, 2007, Nosotros y los otros, Madrid: Siglo XXI