Judgment, Doubt, and Self-Doubt: A Reflexive Turn from the Borderland of Lampedusa

Abstract

As borders kill under the premises of saving lives and distributing order, border regimes emerge in everyday life as sites of uncertainty, fragility, and doubt. The paper explores the spaces of uncertainty that pervade everyday life at the borderlands of Europe with a particular focus on the island of Lampedusa (Italy), and it deploys doubt as an analytical tool to produce a reflexive turn in border studies. From an autoethnographic perspective, it calls for a re-evaluation of the directions we take as scholars when we think and write about borders. By exploring the potential of selfreflection as a path for knowledge of the "other", the paper suggests a shift in gaze which builds on judgment and self-dialogue as forms of responsibility.