Thomas Swerts
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 298101 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Thomas Swerts |
| PRENOMES | Thomas |
| SOBRENOME | Swerts |
| ASSINATURA | SWERTS T |
| AFILIAÇÕES | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6802-2853 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 15 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 102 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 15 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2013 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 6 |
Citizen X
In the second year of his fieldwork, Thomas Swerts drove a van full of undocumented activists across borders to attend a protest. Fariss overcame his fears during the undertaking and used his experience to mobilize others. A few months later, he was arrested and deported despite protests. How do undocumented migrants like Fariss become activists against all odds? How can we make sense of the fact that undocumented activists are powerful, resource…
Faire mémoire sans papiers
Cet article examine les mobilisations des sans-papiers en Belgique (2004-2021), en centrant l’analyse sur le rôle de la mémoire collective comme infrastructure politique. À partir d’une enquête ethnographique de longue durée et d’une relecture diachronique de trois séquences clés de mobilisation (Union de Défense des Sans-Papiers, Sans-Papiers Belgique, Coordination des sans-papiers de Belgique), nous montrons que la mémoire…
Collective memory and amnesia
The Belgian sans-papiers movement succeeded in politicizing migrant illegality in the last few decades. The mobilization of undocumented migrants played a decisive role in pressuring the Belgian government to organize collective regularization rounds in 1999 and 2009. Despite ongoing actions, the movement achieved little victories since then. This tends to be blamed on the unfavorable political climate or dwindling public support. What gets far l…
Right to the digital Twin City? citizen participation and limits-by-design in Rotterdam's urban digital twin
Keeping Faith
In recent years, scholarship on arrival infrastructures has refocused attention to the importance of the local level as the main site where the social in- and exclusion of newcomers is negotiated. However, this focus on newcomers has relatively overlooked the plight of long-term residents like illegalized migrants (IMs) who are “stranded” or “stuck” in their cities of residence. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically functioned as san…
Personal Recognition Strategies of Undocumented Migrant Domestic Workers in The Netherlands
The struggle for recognition of undocumented migrants is usually portrayed as a public affair involving the contestation of legal status. We advance a broader conceptualization that demands attention to the more intimate sphere where relational processes of recognition take place in interactions with significant others. Based on 70 in-depth interviews, we identify four recognition strategies adopted by Filipino undocumented migrant domestic worke…
Governing Precarious Immigrant Workers in Rural Localities
Over the last decades, the globalization of the food and agriculture sector has fueled international labor migration to rural areas in Southern Europe. Portugal is no exception to this trend, as the intensification of foreign investment in agriculture combined with a declining and ageing workforce created a demand for flexible immigrant labor. The Eastern European and Asian immigrant workers who answered the industry’s call were confronted with p…
Politics Disrupted? Collective Intentionality, Inaugural Performativity, and Institutional Receptivity in Undocumented Migrant Struggles
Critical scholarship on “the promise‐of‐the‐political” thesis customarily understands undocumented migrant struggles (UMS) as being politically disruptive. However, the question of what gets disrupted, how, by whom, and to what effect tends to be ignored. Building on insights from the empirical literature on UMS and ethnographic research of the “Solidarity March With and Without Papers”, this paper argues that three conditions need to be in place…
Undocumented Immigrant Activism and the Political
Scholarly interest in undocumented migrants’ struggles over citizenship has surged in recent years. Critical, theoretically inspired scholarship on the political has embraced these struggles as evidence that the current order can be disrupted. However, empirical studies of undocumented activism in the United States and Europe have revealed that pressures to conform to dominant norms and discourses, representational oligarchies and categorical fra…
In search of recognition
Existing scholarship on the active citizenship of undocumented migrants is inconclusive on its perils and promises. While some scholars see it as symptomatic of the moral economy that makes legal recognition dependent on demonstrating civic deservingness, others argue that it represents a potential site of contestation against illegalisation. In this paper, we argue that we need to focus on the complex processes that drive undocumented migrants’ …
From Sanctuary to Welcoming Cities’
Cities have become important sites of sanctuary for migrants with a precarious legal status. While many national governments in Europe have adopted restrictive immigration policies, urban governments have undertaken measures to safeguard undocumented residents’ rights. Existing scholarship on sanctuary cities has mostly focused on how cities’ stance against federal immigration policies can be interpreted as urban citizenship. What is largely miss…
"Check Your Privilege"
Creating Space For Citizenship
Since the turn of the century, urban scholars have argued that cities are the sites par excellence where new political subjects are emerging and changing the face of citizenship. Undocumented activism is often invoked as an example of this phenomenon and an object of renewed interest. What remains unclear, however, is how these precarious actors, who are barred from institutional channels for voicing their grievances and who have little access to…
Gaining a Voice
In recent years, undocumented youth have come out of the shadows to claim their rights in the United States. By sharing their stories, these youth gained a voice in the public debate. This article integrates insights from the literature on narratives and emotions to study how story-telling is employed within the undocumented youth movement in Chicago. I argue that undocumented youth strategically use storytelling for diverging purposes depending …
The democratic deficit of transnational environmental activism
The literature on transnational activism often associates environmental NGOs with democratic legitimacy, grassroots representation and environmental justice. Authors employ case studies to demonstrate how engaging in transnational networks increases the political agency of environmental NGOs. Yet, there is a tendency mostly to select successful cases. In this article, I investigate the political activities of the environmental NGO, Toxics Link, s…
Creating Space For Citizenship
Since the turn of the century, urban scholars have argued that cities are the sites par excellence where new political subjects are emerging and changing the face of citizenship. Undocumented activism is often invoked as an example of this phenomenon and an object of renewed interest. What remains unclear, however, is how these precarious actors, who are barred from institutional channels for voicing their grievances and who have little access to…
Gaining a Voice
In recent years, undocumented youth have come out of the shadows to claim their rights in the United States. By sharing their stories, these youth gained a voice in the public debate. This article integrates insights from the literature on narratives and emotions to study how story-telling is employed within the undocumented youth movement in Chicago. I argue that undocumented youth strategically use storytelling for diverging purposes depending …
From Sanctuary to Welcoming Cities’
Cities have become important sites of sanctuary for migrants with a precarious legal status. While many national governments in Europe have adopted restrictive immigration policies, urban governments have undertaken measures to safeguard undocumented residents’ rights. Existing scholarship on sanctuary cities has mostly focused on how cities’ stance against federal immigration policies can be interpreted as urban citizenship. What is largely miss…
Undocumented Immigrant Activism and the Political
Scholarly interest in undocumented migrants’ struggles over citizenship has surged in recent years. Critical, theoretically inspired scholarship on the political has embraced these struggles as evidence that the current order can be disrupted. However, empirical studies of undocumented activism in the United States and Europe have revealed that pressures to conform to dominant norms and discourses, representational oligarchies and categorical fra…
Politics Disrupted? Collective Intentionality, Inaugural Performativity, and Institutional Receptivity in Undocumented Migrant Struggles
Critical scholarship on “the promise‐of‐the‐political” thesis customarily understands undocumented migrant struggles (UMS) as being politically disruptive. However, the question of what gets disrupted, how, by whom, and to what effect tends to be ignored. Building on insights from the empirical literature on UMS and ethnographic research of the “Solidarity March With and Without Papers”, this paper argues that three conditions need to be in place…
In search of recognition
Existing scholarship on the active citizenship of undocumented migrants is inconclusive on its perils and promises. While some scholars see it as symptomatic of the moral economy that makes legal recognition dependent on demonstrating civic deservingness, others argue that it represents a potential site of contestation against illegalisation. In this paper, we argue that we need to focus on the complex processes that drive undocumented migrants’ …
Personal Recognition Strategies of Undocumented Migrant Domestic Workers in The Netherlands
The struggle for recognition of undocumented migrants is usually portrayed as a public affair involving the contestation of legal status. We advance a broader conceptualization that demands attention to the more intimate sphere where relational processes of recognition take place in interactions with significant others. Based on 70 in-depth interviews, we identify four recognition strategies adopted by Filipino undocumented migrant domestic worke…
Governing Precarious Immigrant Workers in Rural Localities
Over the last decades, the globalization of the food and agriculture sector has fueled international labor migration to rural areas in Southern Europe. Portugal is no exception to this trend, as the intensification of foreign investment in agriculture combined with a declining and ageing workforce created a demand for flexible immigrant labor. The Eastern European and Asian immigrant workers who answered the industry’s call were confronted with p…
The democratic deficit of transnational environmental activism
The literature on transnational activism often associates environmental NGOs with democratic legitimacy, grassroots representation and environmental justice. Authors employ case studies to demonstrate how engaging in transnational networks increases the political agency of environmental NGOs. Yet, there is a tendency mostly to select successful cases. In this article, I investigate the political activities of the environmental NGO, Toxics Link, s…
The democratic deficit of transnational environmental activism
The literature on transnational activism often associates environmental NGOs with democratic legitimacy, grassroots representation and environmental justice. Authors employ case studies to demonstrate how engaging in transnational networks increases the political agency of environmental NGOs. Yet, there is a tendency mostly to select successful cases. In this article, I investigate the political activities of the environmental NGO, Toxics Link, s…
Gaining a Voice
In recent years, undocumented youth have come out of the shadows to claim their rights in the United States. By sharing their stories, these youth gained a voice in the public debate. This article integrates insights from the literature on narratives and emotions to study how story-telling is employed within the undocumented youth movement in Chicago. I argue that undocumented youth strategically use storytelling for diverging purposes depending …
Creating Space For Citizenship
Since the turn of the century, urban scholars have argued that cities are the sites par excellence where new political subjects are emerging and changing the face of citizenship. Undocumented activism is often invoked as an example of this phenomenon and an object of renewed interest. What remains unclear, however, is how these precarious actors, who are barred from institutional channels for voicing their grievances and who have little access to…
"Check Your Privilege"
From Sanctuary to Welcoming Cities’
Cities have become important sites of sanctuary for migrants with a precarious legal status. While many national governments in Europe have adopted restrictive immigration policies, urban governments have undertaken measures to safeguard undocumented residents’ rights. Existing scholarship on sanctuary cities has mostly focused on how cities’ stance against federal immigration policies can be interpreted as urban citizenship. What is largely miss…
Governing Precarious Immigrant Workers in Rural Localities
Over the last decades, the globalization of the food and agriculture sector has fueled international labor migration to rural areas in Southern Europe. Portugal is no exception to this trend, as the intensification of foreign investment in agriculture combined with a declining and ageing workforce created a demand for flexible immigrant labor. The Eastern European and Asian immigrant workers who answered the industry’s call were confronted with p…
Politics Disrupted? Collective Intentionality, Inaugural Performativity, and Institutional Receptivity in Undocumented Migrant Struggles
Critical scholarship on “the promise‐of‐the‐political” thesis customarily understands undocumented migrant struggles (UMS) as being politically disruptive. However, the question of what gets disrupted, how, by whom, and to what effect tends to be ignored. Building on insights from the empirical literature on UMS and ethnographic research of the “Solidarity March With and Without Papers”, this paper argues that three conditions need to be in place…
Undocumented Immigrant Activism and the Political
Scholarly interest in undocumented migrants’ struggles over citizenship has surged in recent years. Critical, theoretically inspired scholarship on the political has embraced these struggles as evidence that the current order can be disrupted. However, empirical studies of undocumented activism in the United States and Europe have revealed that pressures to conform to dominant norms and discourses, representational oligarchies and categorical fra…
In search of recognition
Existing scholarship on the active citizenship of undocumented migrants is inconclusive on its perils and promises. While some scholars see it as symptomatic of the moral economy that makes legal recognition dependent on demonstrating civic deservingness, others argue that it represents a potential site of contestation against illegalisation. In this paper, we argue that we need to focus on the complex processes that drive undocumented migrants’ …
Keeping Faith
In recent years, scholarship on arrival infrastructures has refocused attention to the importance of the local level as the main site where the social in- and exclusion of newcomers is negotiated. However, this focus on newcomers has relatively overlooked the plight of long-term residents like illegalized migrants (IMs) who are “stranded” or “stuck” in their cities of residence. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have historically functioned as san…
Personal Recognition Strategies of Undocumented Migrant Domestic Workers in The Netherlands
The struggle for recognition of undocumented migrants is usually portrayed as a public affair involving the contestation of legal status. We advance a broader conceptualization that demands attention to the more intimate sphere where relational processes of recognition take place in interactions with significant others. Based on 70 in-depth interviews, we identify four recognition strategies adopted by Filipino undocumented migrant domestic worke…
Right to the digital Twin City? citizen participation and limits-by-design in Rotterdam's urban digital twin
Citizen X
In the second year of his fieldwork, Thomas Swerts drove a van full of undocumented activists across borders to attend a protest. Fariss overcame his fears during the undertaking and used his experience to mobilize others. A few months later, he was arrested and deported despite protests. How do undocumented migrants like Fariss become activists against all odds? How can we make sense of the fact that undocumented activists are powerful, resource…
Faire mémoire sans papiers
Cet article examine les mobilisations des sans-papiers en Belgique (2004-2021), en centrant l’analyse sur le rôle de la mémoire collective comme infrastructure politique. À partir d’une enquête ethnographique de longue durée et d’une relecture diachronique de trois séquences clés de mobilisation (Union de Défense des Sans-Papiers, Sans-Papiers Belgique, Coordination des sans-papiers de Belgique), nous montrons que la mémoire…
Collective memory and amnesia
The Belgian sans-papiers movement succeeded in politicizing migrant illegality in the last few decades. The mobilization of undocumented migrants played a decisive role in pressuring the Belgian government to organize collective regularization rounds in 1999 and 2009. Despite ongoing actions, the movement achieved little victories since then. This tends to be blamed on the unfavorable political climate or dwindling public support. What gets far l…
Migration, Refugees, and Integration (9 obras) · Political science (9 obras) · Sociology (9 obras) · Law (8 obras) · Politics (7 obras) · Gender Studies (6 obras) · Citizenship (5 obras) · Immigration (5 obras) · Law (5 obras) · Collective action (4 obras)