Not-so-subtle subtleties: undocumented migrant (in)visibility, (im)mobility and Dutch public spaces as sites of embodied racialization

ABSTRACT

We explore the nuances of living while undocumented in the Netherlands, focusing on the processes of (in)visibility and (im)mobility in the public sphere. We conceptualize (in)visibility as dialectical and multilayered, with relational, political, strategic and processual dimensions. (Im)mobility isconceptualized as a resource and is interlinked with (in)visibility. Both concepts are understood to be defined by social relations, which necessitate the analytical centering of ‘race’. In order to investigate the subtleties of undocumented migrants’ public experiences, we examine how racialization is (1) embodied in prejudiced surveillance, (2) experienced by undocumented migrants as racialized individuals, and (3) resisted through the exercise of strategic (in)visibility. We argue that strategic invisibility can result in self-inflicted immobilization due to an amplified perception of risk. Instances of strategic visibility are explored, showing the creation of discursive spaces and informal cooperation between migrant-led collectives and street-level actors. We conclude by stating that asymmetries in visibility create a different urban landscape for undocumented migrants, specifically one that is limited and mined with risks.

KEYWORDS:

• (in)visibility
• (im)mobility
• racialization
• undocumented migrants
• Netherlands

Acknowledgments

A special thanks to Huiskamer Eindhoven for their hospitality and for allowing us to experience their welcoming ‘living room,’ enabling us to speak with their visitors. Our deepest gratitude to all participants who cooperated with us for this study. We want to thank them for their openness about their life stories and experiences, which have been distressing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Gemeentelijke Gezondheidsdienst (Dutch Municipal Health Service)

2 Immigratie en Naturalisatiediedienst (Immigration and Naturalization department of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, responsible for processing residence permits and asylum applications).