Securitisation of Migration in Discourse and Practice – The case of Edirne, Turkey

Abstract: The phenomenon of migration is a highly debated topic in international politics, rising in importance on the global agenda. This can be seen in the securitisation of migration policies of the EU, who has sought to restrict migration and sharpen border controls since mid-70s. In this process Turkey is of vital importance, considered one of the main ‘bridges’ for transit migration into the EU. Thus, the securitisation of migration in the EU has been influencing the Turkish migration management in the relation between the two. This thesis was conducted through nine weeks of fieldwork in Edirne, a city bordering the EU through Greece and Bulgaria. The aim is to look at how the process of securitisation is articulated in both discourse and practices among local migration practitioners. This has been done by unstructured interviews with local migration practitioners in Edirne. This thesis is following the framework of both Copenhagen and Paris School of securitisation, to locate how the process of securitisation is present in Edirne. An outline of the main communication in the EU-Turkey relation, and the policy development of both, with regards to migration management, has been made. It concludes that the process of securitisation of migration is highly present in both discourses and practices of local migration practitioners in Edirne, and locates the process within the concepts of securitisation theory. It also shows tensions between adaption of the securitised agenda of the EU and the resistance expressed towards the EU’s migration policies.