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Against the Tide

The Counter-Repression Strategies of Sea Rescue Organizations in the Mediterranean

Bibliographic Data

ID5741975
AuthorsFederico Alagna (0000-0002-0648-0418, corresponding author), Eugenio Cusumano (0000-0002-7349-6639)
Year2023
Volume709
Issue1
Pages105-123
Publication date2023-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00027162241248062
OpenAlexW4399540933
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited10

Since 2017, Italian authorities have repressed nongovernmental sea rescuers operating in the Mediterranean Sea. These repressive practices have been enacted irrespective of the ideological orientation of the governments in office, but have evolved over time. The strategies devised by civil society organizations to resist repression have adapted accordingly, encompassing a range of activities such as the dissemination of counternarratives aimed at desecuritizing migration, the establishment of alliances with sympathetic state actors, the reflagging or replacement of the ships used for rescue operations, and engagement in legal mobilization. This article examines how the repressive practices of the Italian government and the counter-repression actions of civil society organizations influenced one another from 2017 to 2023. We show that although governmental repression reduced civil society's rescue operations, the organizations' ability to adapt and engage in counter-repression strategies has ensured the continuation of their lifesaving activities

Archaeology · Biology · Business · Environmental resource management · Geography · Mediterranean climate · Mediterranean sea · Political science · Psychological repression · Environmental Science · Geology · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Global Security and Public Health · Oceanography · Peacebuilding and International Security

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Citations per year1.67
Citation span2023 - 2026 (4)
Highly citedNo

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