Paper short abstract:

Why and how do some paths of movement and becoming reinforce themselves as inevitable facts while others become marginalised, even impossible? How can we understand the productive nature of such relations without losing from site their destructive potential? What does it mean to have alternatives?

Paper long abstract:

Inequalities, limits and walls are not simply something that prevent us; they also guide, direct and motivate. Rather than either generalised movement or immobility, the strivings of humans who live under condition of inequalities that are too great for them to overcome, are characterised by limited moves. Metaphorically speaking, they are like meandering steps along a well-trodden path, attempts to jump a wall or evade a dead end, but also the work of building and restoring walls and gates. Such limited moves are both enabled and restricted by the relations of powers the humans involved face - which often are also the powers which they try to make their own. In this introductory presentation the three panel convenors reflect about specific relations of power they have encountered in their fieldwork - notably the relationship between God and humans; the expectations of family and society; borders; violence; and imagination. Following the clues and ideas they offer, we ask: Why and how do some paths of movement and becoming reinforce themselves as inevitable facts while others become marginalised, even impossible? How can we understand the productive nature of such relations without losing from site their destructive potential - and vice versa? What does it mean to have alternatives?