Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/50914

The Schengen zone creates two kinds of subjects: regular and irregular, and two kinds of borders: open and closed. For the irregular migrant, the border becomes a mobility security assemblage consisting of fences, towers, guards, cameras, and sensors, whereas for the regular traveller the border consists of an immigration counter and a rubber stamp on the passport. The object location, along with the historical and geographical context of specific border crossings, define the security practices at that border based on the subject of separation, and the function and location of the border determine the nature of a border-crossing experience. As such, the specific histories of the different border crossings play a central role in determining border management practices. As such, we argue that rather than a uniform European mobility experience, there are situated intersubjectivities of border crossings differing from one port of entry to another. This article argues that Ceuta and Melilla present a window into the role of petty-sovereigns in determining these situated intersubjectivities that define different mobility security regimes.