School of Social and Political Science

Description

Denmark’s increasingly punitive migration regime has reshaped not only the lives of refugees and migrants, but also the social and democratic fabric of Danish society. Drawing on policy and legal analysis, institutional perspectives, and lived experiences, this talk examines how contemporary bordering practices extend far beyond the state’s territorial boundaries and into everyday life, public services, and labour market participation.

Focusing in particular on the experiences of female migrants in Denmark, Michelle explores how labour market “integration” is profoundly gendered, revealing the unequal expectations, exclusions, and bureaucratic violences embedded within integration systems. Through biographical narratives and moments of rupture and revelation, the talk considers how women’s experiences expose the underlying logics of the Danish integration regime itself. It asks what happens when ideals of gender equality and humanitarianism coexist with policies designed to deter, discipline, and produce unwelcomeness — and what this means for belonging, citizenship, and democratic life in Denmark.

Michelle Pace is Professor in Global Studies based in Denmark. A political scientist by training, her interdisciplinary research and teaching focuses on the intersection between European / Middle East / Critical Migration / Democratization and Peace & Conflict Studies. Her book Un-welcome to Denmark. The paradigm shift and refugee integration (with Sarah El-Abd) received a Carlsberg Monograph Fellowship in 2021.

This online talk is co-hosted by the Citizenship and Migration Research Network (CMRN) and the Gender and Politics Research Group.