Border Work as Socio Legal Activist Research

This co-authored article develops Border Work (BW) as a methodological approach which is under explored in socio-legal scholar-activism, through analysing two distinct examples. While both examples depart from feminist methodology, the differences are stark: Noor, excluded from democratic processes, faced deportation risks, while we, with institutional support, engaged in public mobilizations without such threats. Noor’s struggle, from a marginalized position of “deportability,” was a life-and-death fight to remain in Sweden. Despite these differences, we use BW to understand both examples, highlighting their commonalities. The analysis of the manifesto work and Noor’s efforts shows how transgressive work creates new subject positions. Our manifesto initiative aimed to create a collective, transnational agency, transcending national boundaries and bringing excluded experiences into public discourse, driven by the belief in a better future. Noor’s confidence in safety for vulnerable groups in Sweden and her persistent resistance offer valuable lessons. BW provides a deeper understanding and a common analytical framework for scholarly and activist work. The manifesto exercise aimed to de-link academic knowledge from its ivory tower. Noor’s testimony to the Asylum Commission reflects how migration law knowledge emerges from those directly affected. Our manifesto work, resisting epistemic violence, generates knowledge from this refusal to conform to academic expectations.