Detention Centers als vernetzte Räume des Einschlusses? Eine gouvernementalitätstheoretische Perspektiverweiterung am Beispiel Lesvos

Abstract

The article examines the strategic role of detention in the Reception and Identification Center on Lesvos, Greece. Basing on works on detention in carceral geography, I will additionally use the theoretical framework of governmentality. It becomes clear that the detention center on Lesvos serves as a spatial configuration of localization and circulation of asylum seekers framed as belonging to countries with low recognition rate. This is mainly enhanced through confinement, forced or controlled mobilisation as well as the control of flows of assistance and information through containment. In conclusion, certain modes of circulation and mobilization through enclosure can be identified through combination and mutual fertilisation of carceral geography and governmentality.