Paper short abstract:

Studying a refugee reception facility in Luxembourg, we argue that the state is mainly 'present' through immaterial infrastructures, while the management of material infrastructures is outsourced. This ambiguous performance of state power places residents in a condition of partial citizenship.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores how the state is performed in a refugee reception facility in Luxembourg. It argues that despite being in charge of the facility and its residents' life, the state is mainly 'present' through immaterial infrastructures, while the management of all material or visible infrastructures is outsourced. It also discusses the effects on the conditions of citizenship for the residents of the facility. The paper is based on an on-going qualitative fieldwork involving mainly social workers and residents of the Diekirch reception facility, as well as local and central state representatives. This encampment-related infrastructure is made of assembled containers. The set-up and the maintenance of the containers, the distribution of food, the securitisation of the site are all outsourced to private companies. Even the everyday social assistance is provided by an NGO. Yet, the state remains always in the background as an intangible infrastructure. The state agency in charge of the reception of refugees sets the rules, such as how the waste has to be sorted, how many nights per month residents are allowed to sleep out of the facility, and so on. Social workers of the NGO and residents are constantly referring to this state agency when it comes to their daily working or living conditions, although the civil servants are absent from the site. This ambiguous performance of state power means that residents always feel the presence of the state, but can hardly face him in a direct manner to make their claims, placing them in a condition of partial citizenship.