My Wish Lists Login / Join

Forced Migration

An Ethnography of Suspicious Compassion and State Power

By: Maja Hertoghs

Write A Review

Hardcover | 1 March 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
190 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.27

Hardcover

$366.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $91.69 with

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

Since the 1970s, the recurring discourse of a 'refugee crisis' in Europe has affected border strategies that create a context of suspicion and criminalise asylum applicants. This book examines how the Netherlands engages with the arrival of certain (often illegalised) travellers and the asylum procedure, a tense liminal space and time that ensures decisions of inclusion and exclusion. Dutch asylum procedure is a peculiar legal procedure that gathers different people and sensitivities together to make swift, life-altering decisions for those applying for protection. Based on an extensive ethnography, this book reveals the ways in which suspicious compassion in Dutch asylum pervades an objective decision-making practice.

Industry Reviews

"Maja Hertoghs has made a valuable empirical and conceptual contribution based on extensive and exhaustive fieldwork." â¢ Jordan Dez, University of Amsterdam

"(This book) proposes the interesting concept of state intensities, which I find quite compelling. It stands to make an important intervention in the anthropology of the state, of bureaucracy, and of borders." â¢ Anouk de Koning, University of Amsterdam

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.