The Wretched of the Sea: Clandestine Immigration and Graphic Artistry in Bessora and Barroux's Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Migrants are often represented in political and social discourse as "invaders" that threaten the body of a nation. They are stripped of their identities, considered as anonymous and potentially violent invaders, especially men. This article contests this dehumanizing narrative of "illegal" migration from Africa to Europe. More specifically, it examines how Bessora and Barroux's graphic novel Alpha: Abidjan to Paris (2014) not only contributes to giving voices to migrants but also lends specificity to the migrant experience. It demonstrates how graphic novels can unveil the complex layers of migrants' objectification and dispossession and restore subjecthood to those reduced to mere numbers. Thus, this article posits the political and social urgency of clandestine migration and provides an analysis of the ethics and politics of aesthetic depictions of migrants. It highlights the singularity of individuals or marginal constituencies within the anonymized group of migrants, focusing on two West African men.