Extractive Warehousing: Carceral Economies of Containment in the Greek Islands

Abstract

The paper explores the extractive processes at stake in the governance of migration in the European context. It does so by focusing on the Greek islands, which have been transformed, particularly in the last decade, in extended containment zones where newly arrived migrants have been systematically stopped and confined. Drawing on interview data collected from a diverse range of actors between October and December 2020 as well as on non-governmental reports and policy documents, the paper examines the ways in which the forced warehousing of migrants in the islands has produced carceral economies. The latter will be discussed from different angles, such as the economy of camps (i.e. construction, supply and maintenance), the economies of humanitarian and border control professionals (i.e. jobs, rents, amenities, etc.), and the informal predatory economies beyond camps (i.e. goods, services, etc.). Building on the Greek case study, the paper provides a new perspective on the policy of containment that is key to border operations across the world. It shows how protracted waiting and spatial confinement that characterize containment do not only serve the purposes of deterrence and spatio-temporal control, but they also create the conditions for profit and accumulation.