Beyond the Crisis Frame: Structural Insecurity and the Moral Politics of Displacement in European and North African Border Regimes

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2025.9.4.363

Abstract

Structural insecurity is a central though overlooked force shaping contemporary displacement. Beyond conflict and climate change, displacement emerges from intersecting regimes of governance, including European Union border securitization, North African state collaborations, and racialized migration controls in North America and Western Europe. While these regimes differ in scope, they converge in producing precarity through selective hospitality and exclusion. This article, informed by abolitionist and decolonial thought, examines how displacement is legitimized as social regulation through restrictive asylum laws, securitized media narratives, and public discourses that naturalize insecurity. Responsibility lies not with a single actor but across states, supranational institutions, and financial bodies enforcing austerity. We argue that ethical responses require dismantling the infrastructures of displaceability by reallocating resources away from border militarization, supporting regional mobility accords grounded in equity, and pursuing reparative justice for communities most affected. Such measures move research and governance beyond crisis management toward collective futures of dignity, belonging, and liberation.

Author Biographies

Titilayo Lydia Bamidele, Stellenbosch University

Titilayo Lydia Bamidele is a Nigerian scholar and educator with extensive experience in religious studies and cultural education. She is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Religion and Culture at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, where her research focuses on the intersection of religion and indigenous cultural practices in Africa. She previously served as a Senior Tutor of Christian Religious Studies at Covenant University Secondary School, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, where she also oversaw quality assurance and achieved outstanding student performance in national examinations. Her research interests include religion and culture, religious education in Africa, and comparative religious studies.

Beatrice Damilola Adeoye, Federal University Oye-Ekiti

Dr. Beatrice Damilola Adeoye is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Sociology at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she holds a PhD in Sociology with a specialization in social health, focusing on reproductive health, gender, and epidemiology. With over 12 years of teaching and research experience, Dr. Adeoye has taught a wide range of courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, combining strong subject expertise with innovative and inclusive pedagogical approaches. Her research explores the intersections of health, gender, and society, particularly how cultural, demographic, and socioeconomic factors shape reproductive health outcomes and health-seeking behavior. Her research interests include social health, reproductive health, gender, and epidemiology.

Seun Bamidele, Federal University Oye-Ekiti

Dr. Seun Bamidele is a Lecturer and Researcher in conflict, security, and development studies at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. He holds two PhD degrees – one in Development Studies from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and another in Peace and Security Studies from Ekiti State University, Nigeria. His research explores the nexus of conflict, development, and security, with a particular focus on peacebuilding, civilian protection, post-conflict governance, and the political economy of violence in Africa. Dr. Bamidele’s scholarship is rooted in extensive field-based research across African countries and engages audiences in both scholarly and policy-making spaces. He has published widely in leading academic journals and actively participates in international research collaborations and editorial roles within the global peace and security community. His research Interests involve peacebuilding, civilian protection, post-conflict governance, political economy of violence in Africa.

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Published
2025-12-29
How to Cite
Bamidele, T., Adeoye, B., & Bamidele, S. (2025). Beyond the Crisis Frame: Structural Insecurity and the Moral Politics of Displacement in European and North African Border Regimes. Changing Societies & Personalities, 9(4), 1015-1030. doi:10.15826/csp.2025.9.4.363
Citation Formats
Issue
Vol. 9, No. 4 (2025)
Section
Articles