Secure borders and safe haven and the gendered politics of belonging: Beyond social cohesion

This article focuses on contemporary gendered politics of migration and belonging in Britain. The article starts with an examination of migration and the construction of boundaries in Europe and, more specifically, the gendered implications of recent immigration policies (labour, family, asylum) and the gendered nature of the notion of “secure borders” as well as that of “safe haven” in the UK White Paper. In particular, we address and problematize notions of belonging and “social cohesion” which occupy a central conceptual plank in this construction and consider how this relates to wider debates in contemporary Britain. Our concluding remarks raise central issues of debate with which the struggles against racism and feminism should engage. We stress the importance of intersectionality to such an analysis.