The challenge to the EU posed by far-right populism and the rise of anti-foreign sentiment demand systematic research on the causes and consequences of xenophobia in all its variants. SECUREU will focus on the role of the securitization of ethnicity (i.e., the representation of migrants and ethnic minorities as an inherent security threat that demands exceptional measures), as pursued by both the EU itself and its individual member states. The network’s activities will highlight the potential social and political problems generated by securitization processes and disseminate the newly generated knowledge to the academic and policy-making communities.

SECUREU’s research explores the securitization of migrants and its consequences for xenophobia in the context of the question of refugees in the EU. SECUREU further investigates the securitization of migrants and ethnic minorities from a historical perspective by focusing on how the framing of different minority groups has evolved over time and how ethnic minorities experience and deal with their representation in public discourse. In developing this research agenda SECUREU will promote a theoretical integration of the ethnicity/migration and securitization fields, which have developed largely independent from one another.

SECUREU brings together researchers from both academic fields to generate new research, educate students and young researchers, produce policy briefs and create new synergies around these key issues. Project partners will produce new knowledge on how, when, and why the EU and individual member states securitize migrants and ethnic minorities and provide new insights into the rise of xenophobia in the EU. The project foresees research, teaching and dissemination activities and will organize symposia, workshops, webinars, research stays, and summer schools.

SECUREU is funded by the EU programme Jean Monnet Networks | Erasmus+

Coordinator

Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals, Spain

Partners

Council for European Studies (European Office), Spain

Eurac Research, Italy

Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe Marburg, Germany

Koç University, Turkey

University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

For further information: Andrea Carlà – andrea.carla@eurac.edu

https://www.europenowjournal.org/secureu-2022/