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Identifying dead migrants

Forensic Care Work and Relational Citizenship

Bibliographic Data

ID4525035
AuthorsAmade M’charek (0000-0001-5242-2406, University of Amsterdam), Sara Casartelli (0000-0002-6391-5414, University of Amsterdam)
Year2019
Volume23
Issue7
Pages738-757
Publication date2019-10-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCitizenship Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-1025 • E-ISSN: 1469-3593
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13621025.2019.1651102
OpenAlexW2964520034
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited17

The Mediterranean Sea has become an iconic site in the so-called migration crisis. Thousands of dead bodies have washed up on the southern beaches of Europe. We draw on ethnographic material collected at sites in Italy where the bodies of drowned migrants have been cared for by professionals and volunteers. We argue that while caring for the dead allows them to be identified as persons, it also produces relationships that go beyond formal citizenship. We introduce the notion of forensic care work to analyse the practice of identification and show how it produces a relational citizenship. We follow the movement of bodies from where they are found to examination and burial. We show that this process involves constant tinkering and experimenting with in this specific forensic practice and argue that caring for the dead requires caring for the forensic infrastructure

Citizenship · Criminology · Ethnography · Identification (biology · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Work (physics · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Engineering · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Sex work and related issues · Ecology · Law

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Unique citing works25
Citations per year3,57
Citation span2019 - 2026 (8)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 23
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