Re-imagining Mobility: From (In)visibility to Multiple Processes of Making Present

Abstract

(In)visibility is a central concept in debates on mobility and migration. It has been perceived as both resource and obstacle to transformative political practices. The aim of this article is to unpack how events tied to migration have been labelled simultaneously visible and invisible. This is not merely a contradiction but a sign of how knowledge about migration is produced in complex, multiple and contrasting ways. To assess these processes, however, scholars cannot rely on the language of (in)visibility as it comes short in articulating both the situatedness of processes of knowledge production and their multiplicity. This article proposes the language of ‘making present’ as an alternative, which enables us to track how different (in)visibilities have diverse political consequences. The conceptual contribution of the article is fleshed out by analysing two empirical cases: the construction of the Gateway to Europe and instances of migrant self-narration on the same site.