The belief that the world would be safer and risks minimized if identities could be fixed in one position has gained popularity. We must however understand that migration policies are not only about controlling bodies and movements; whose bodies are controlled and monitored is specific. Because our history is filled with the consistent sacrifice of some for the bettering of others, and because we live in a time of deep anxieties, including the idea of the “racial other taking over the planet”, racial violence is embedded in the language of borders and security.
The reality we need to understand is that the idea of a borderless world already exists, but it is only reserved for those “deserving”. Having an American passport, for example, basically opens up the world to you. This is not the case for everyone. Some movements are considered freedom and others a threat. The idea of a borderless world is simply a radical right that would belong to everyone, by virtue of every individual being human.
We must understand that movement by some is seen as a ‘threat to order’, simply because they threaten the current systems we have in place. The idea of sovereignty, borders and capitalism are intrinsically linked. Sovereignty means you can capture a people, a territory; hence, you can capture their taxes. You cannot tax people who have no address. Entrapment (borders) is the precondition for the exploitation of our labour. This is why when there were struggles across the world for racial liberation, from India to the Caribbean; it was linked with the right to move.
Make no mistake, however, a world without borders will entail a radical transformation of the world we currently live in. It would demand not just rethinking our policies on migration, but on trade and war, our economics, our environment and our welfare. This will mean looking at our history and understanding ourselves as species, and how we got here. However, this work MUST be done. If we want to conclude the work of decolonization, we have to bring down colonial boundaries.
To Find out More Check These Out:
1.The Idea of a Borderless World - https://africasacountry.com/2018/11/the-idea-of-a-borderless-world
2.Why We Need A World Without Borders - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/psychology-nationalism-world-globalisation-country-b1788797.html
3.TedxTalk- Imagining A World without Borders- https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=zht-6BrX1b4