Since the 2015 refugee crisis, the European Union has reinforced its borders, making escape routes increasingly dangerous for people seeking safety while simultaneously tightening the conditions for those who manage to reach Europe. Although people continue to flee to Europe, reports from the borderlands have largely fallen silent—or, more accurately, been silenced.
In this discussion, researchers present stories, images, and materials from Europe’s militarized border zones: from the ruins of the infamous and now-closed Moria camp on Lesvos, to the recently militarized border between Poland and Belarus, and the piles of abandoned bicycles found along the Norwegian–Russian and Finnish–Russian border regions. Together, we explore what happens when voices from the border—and accounts of the ongoing violence at Europe’s frontiers—are ignored, suppressed, or prohibited.
This event is part of the Centre on Global Migration’s series on migration and integration in Swedish politics, which examines some of the most pressing issues in the lead-up to the election. The Centre on Global Migration (CGM) is part of the University of Gothenburg.
Panelists
Kristina Wejstål is a Doctor of International Law and researcher affiliated with the University of Gothenburg and Södertörn University. Her research focuses on Europe’s external borders, with particular attention to the interplay between law, border control, and the physical design of borders. She is especially interested in how fundamental rights, such as the right to seek asylum, are affected as Europe’s border landscapes are transformed through measures such as border fences, surveillance technologies, and new legislation.
Anja Franck is Associate Professor of Peace and Development Research at the Department of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg. Her research examines international migration, border politics, and security. She is particularly interested in how refugees and migrants navigate increasingly restrictive and militarized border regimes—and how their strategies, in turn, shape states’ capacity to regulate migration.
Moderator
Annika Lindberg is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Department of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg. Her research explores borders, detention, and deportation as instruments of state power and as mechanisms for determining who is considered deserving of rights. She has studied the implementation and effects of border policies in Sweden, Denmark, and across the European Union.
About the Seminar Series
During the 2026 election year, migration and integration remain high on the political agenda. At the same time, public debate is marked by deep divisions. But what does research tell us?
Throughout the year, the Centre on Global Migration (CGM) at the University of Gothenburg is hosting a seminar series in which researchers offer different perspectives on one of the most debated issues of our time. Participants will gain insight into current research findings and lessons learned from practical work in areas that are central to Sweden’s migration policy debates.
The aim is to create a meeting place where academic knowledge, professional experience, and broader societal perspectives can come together.
The series includes lectures, panel discussions, and seminars, and is open to the general public, students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.
By bringing together research, and public debate, the seminar series seeks to contribute to a more informed and evidence-based conversation about migration and integration in Sweden during the 2026 election year.
Programme Autumn 2026
- 7 september, kl. 18.00-19.30, Gothenburg City Library: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on suburban communities as political scapegoats in the public debate?
- 9 October, 10:00–12:00, Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg: Seminar at the Department of Education and Special Education on the politics of language testing and critical perspectives on assessment and language education for migrants
- 13 October, 18:00-19:00, Gothenburg City: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on the ongoing crisis at Europe’s borders: silenced voices and forbidden places.
- 14 October, 12:00–13:00, Gothenburg City Library: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on Language Introduction, Language Testing, and the Conditions for Participation.
- 24 November, 18:00–19:30, Gothenburg City Library: Seminar and panel discussion at Gothenburg City Library on “integration panic” and diversity in everyday life.
