Thursday 16th January 2025, 10.00-12.00 (CET time)
Le Jeudi POMAF is a public space for inquiry and open discussion about migration policies in Africa.
Audios are now available online!
Speakers:
Alice Fill, École Normale Supérieure (Chair in Geopolitics of Risk) in Paris and at the University of Roma Tre (Department of International Law)
Datafying Human Mobility in the ECOWAS: Interplays of Legal and Socio-technical Infrastructures
Ngozi Louis Uzomah, Population, Environment, and Development Research Group of the University of Nigeria Nsukka
Transnational Mobility: Exploring the Role of Digitalization in Shaping Identities Among the Igbo Diaspora in Benin
Speakers’ bios:
Ali Fill is a PhD Student in International Relations and International Human Rights Law at the École Normale Supérieure (Chair in Geopolitics of Risk) in Paris and at the University of Roma Tre (Department of International Law). She is also a Fellow at the Institut Convergences Migrations and member of the IMISOCE PhD Network Board.
Ngozi Louis Uzomah has a PhD in Population Geography from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and is affiliated with the Population, Environment, and Development Research Group of the University. Having lived in countries in Europe and Africa, he developed a keen interest in migration studies. His research interests include regional integration, return migration, and the influence of EU migration policies in Africa. He has researched on refugees in Nigeria and published on cross-border migration in the ECOWAS region, the challenges of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and the journeys of Sub-Saharan African migrants traveling through irregular pathways via North Africa to Europe. Additionally, Ngozi has consulted for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime on cross-border activities in the borderlands of Southwestern Cameroon and Southeastern Nigeria. Currently, he serves as the Principal Investigator, in Nigeria, for the Horizon Europe Project, GAPs: Decentering the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond.
Abstracts:
Datafying human mobility in ECOWAS: interplays of legal and socio-technical infrastructures
This presentation suggests adopting an infrastructural approach to examine the interplays between law and technology in the datafication of human mobility in the ECOWAS region, mapping the continuum between digital identity, border security, and humanitarianism. Datafication encompasses the diverse data-intensive processes involved in the proliferation of databases, wherein diverse forms of data – biographic, biometric, statistical, and novel varieties such as GPS – are collected, stored, and processed by a range of actors and for multiple purposes. In particular, the approach aims to “think infrastructurally” both about mobility law and datafication schemes, with the primary aim of investigating at once legal and socio-technical infrastructures. From here, the presentation interrogates how the relationship and boundaries between legal and socio-technical infrastructures – conceived as an integrated unit of analysis – operate and are redrawn within the context of the datafication of human mobility, and what implications arise.
The analysis adopts an operational definition of infrastructure, both legal and socio-technical, based on three principal properties: materiality, relationality, and distributional effects. This involves a thorough examination of the material constraints and affordances of the infrastructures under scrutiny, their interrelations, and the distributional impacts they have on the actors involved in their implementation, renegotiation, opposition, and contestation.
Three specific interplays are discussed: entanglements, disentanglements, and stratifications. Entanglement refers to the reciprocal shaping between legal and socio-technical infrastructures. Disentanglement describes the dissolution of this relationship due to the “deactivation” of one of the two poles, either legal infrastructures (driven by logics of emergency, security, secrecy) or socio-technical ones (due to errors, disuse, misuse). Stratification, akin to the concept of inter-legalities, seeks to illuminate a relationship that operates through fragmented regulatory frameworks and multi-purpose approaches. Particular attention is given to the study of interoperability between different systems and the overlapping purposes driving data circulation. This analysis draws upon extensive fieldwork conducted across Senegal, Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, grounding the study empirically with diverse cases.
Transnational Mobility: Exploring the Role of Digitalization in Shaping Identities Among the Igbo Diaspora in Benin
This presentation examines the interplay of identity policies, mobility, and digitalization among the Igbo ethnicity from Nigeria residing in Benin Republic. Historically, the Igbo have navigated complex social and political landscapes shaped by colonial legacies and cultural resilience. As members of this diaspora migrate to Benin, their identities are increasingly influenced by modern digital technologies, which serve as vital tools for business transactions, cultural expression, and community engagement. This study explores how identity policies in Nigeria and Benin impact the mobility and digital engagement of the Igbo, affecting their sense of belonging. Digital tools—such as social media platforms, messaging apps, and online forums—enable the Igbo community to maintain business transactions and cultural ties, share experiences, and mobilize politically, thereby reinforcing their identities in a transnational context. The research is grounded in Transnationalism Theory, which highlights the fluidity of identity and the interconnectedness of communities across borders. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of ECOWAS protocols, which facilitate the free movement of persons and promote regional integration, providing a supportive framework for the Igbo diaspora. Through qualitative analysis and case studies, the reflection elucidates the complexities of identity formation among the Igbo in Benin, emphasizing how digital technologies deepen business transactions, empower cultural expression, and enhance community cohesion. By exploring these intersections, this presentation contributes to broader discussions on identity politics in West Africa, underscoring the transformative role of digitalization in shaping the experiences of the Igbo diaspora.