- Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Michael B Gordon
McMaster University, Political Science, Graduate Student
- Irregular Migration, Border Studies, Global Governance, Human Trafficking, International Relations, Migration Studies, and 19 moreCitizenship, Smuggling, Migration, Borders and Borderlands, Critical Security Studies, International political sociology, Refugees, Undocumented Immigration, Mobility/Mobilities, Borders, Critical Theory, Human Geography, Borderlands Studies, Borders and Frontiers, Political Geography, Political Sociology, International Migration, Humanitarianism, and Sociology of Migrationedit
- Michael Gordon is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and specializing in the field of Critical International Relations. His research broadly looks at issues surrounding irregular migration, h... moreMichael Gordon is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and specializing in the field of Critical International Relations. His research broadly looks at issues surrounding irregular migration, humanitarian border policy, migrant journeys, refugees and border control. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from McMaster University and a M.A. in Global Governance from the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo where his work focused on issues of human trafficking, border policy and migrant rights advocacy. Michael is also a former Graduate Research Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).edit
An edited collection of KEYWORDS for Critical Refugee Studies.
Research Interests:
This article engages with the development and expansion of border industries in the global North. Recently, the state-led industries have grown in response to the rising number of irregular migrants contesting the borders of the global... more
This article engages with the development and expansion of border industries in the global North. Recently, the state-led industries have grown in response to the rising number of irregular migrants contesting the borders of the global North. Situated within the constructed narrative of ‘crisis’, border industries are both materially and discursively produced as a direct response to the perceived threat of irregular migrant populations. The article interrogates the development of border industries from both the state and migrant perspectives. The purpose of the article is to examine not only the emergence of these border industries but to highlight the detrimental and deadly impact they continue to have on migrant journeys, ensuring the continuation of the structural and direct violence of borders. The development of these industries, particularly from the state-led perspective, is indicative of the violent, exclusionary practice and enactment of borders. The paper adds to the calls for rethinking bordering practices while simultaneously challenging the perpetuation and continuation of a hegemonic global apartheid regime constructed through state bordering practices in the global North.
Research Interests:
The 'Natasha' narrative has become the popular representation of the fictional, feminized victim of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Through this narrative, the development and use of the sensationalized image of a victim of human... more
The 'Natasha' narrative has become the popular representation of the fictional, feminized victim of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Through this narrative, the development and use of the sensationalized image of a victim of human trafficking has become an emotional driving force behind much of the global anti-trafficking efforts. Viewed within the broader framework of trends in international migration, efforts to combat trafficking have coincided with increasingly restrictive border regimes and immigration policy that has limited the ability for individuals to move across borders in search of new opportunities. The intention of this paper is to understand and analyze the gendered construction of the victim of trafficking through policy efforts and the work of anti-trafficking campaigns. The paper argues that the construction of the victim of trafficking denies the agency of the individual, while allowing for justification of 'humanitarian' border policies designed to restrict migration through increasingly closed borders.
The feminization of migration is an ongoing cross border phenomenon that requires both attention and cooperation to minimize risk and increase protection for vulnerable populations. According to the International Organization for... more
The feminization of migration is an ongoing cross border phenomenon that requires both attention and cooperation to minimize risk and increase protection for vulnerable populations. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Migration Report 2013, female migrants constituted approximately 50% of the share of the total migrant stock. With women amounting to half of the number of migrants globally, migration and gender can no longer be seen as separate silos in policy. Therefore, we argue gender mainstreaming must be injected into high-level dialogue to reduce vulnerability and enhance human rights of migrant women workers. Using case studies from Italy and Moldova, this paper examines the problems associated with human trafficking and identifies legislative and legal gaps in anti-trafficking policy through analyzing compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In order to facilitate gender mainstreaming efforts, we argue that member states party to CEDAW are encouraged to ensure that national anti-trafficking policies comply with CEDAW, and also adopt a rights-based approach to combating human trafficking through the entrenchment of CEDAW principles in national legislation to assure the protection and empowerment of migrant women workers.