"Non più migranti, per sempre stranieri": Necropolitics, exclusion, and resistance in Italian migration governance

This thesis critically analyzes Italian migration governance between 2015 and 2024 through a decolonial and necropolitical lens. It explores how legal frameworks and border regimes produce "Otherness" and permanent subalternity, bridging colonial legacies with contemporary exclusionary practices. The research employs a dual methodology: a comprehensive policy analysis and qualitative fieldwork. Central to this study are interviews used as "counternarratives" to challenge the structural silence imposed by the state. These voices materialize the theory of necropolitics, exposing the daily impacts of "burorrepresión"—including infinite waiting lines, bureaucratic violence, and identity erosion. By contextualizing Italy within the broader European framework, the study investigates how migration pacts replicate patterns of securitization and expulsion. The inquiry draws a direct line between the historical subaltern and the contemporary racialized migrant, focusing on how individuals navigate and resist a system designed for their marginalization. Ultimately, this thesis centers silenced experiences to reveal the human cost of governance, providing a critical report on what it means to be "Othered" in postcolonial Italy and highlighting the resilient agency of those within this highly securitized political space.

This thesis critically analyzes Italian migration governance between 2015 and 2024 through postcolonial and necropolitical lens. It explores how legal frameworks and border regimes produce "Otherness" and permanent subalternity, bridging colonial legacies with contemporary exclusionary practices. The research employs a dual methodology: a comprehensive legal analysis and qualitative fieldwork. Central to this study are interviews used as "counternarratives" to challenge the structural silence imposed by the state. These voices materialize the theory of necropolitics, exposing the daily impacts of "burorrepresión"—including infinite waiting lines, bureaucratic violence, and identity erosion. By contextualizing Italy within the broader European framework, the study investigates how migration pacts replicate patterns of securitization and expulsion. The inquiry draws a direct line between the historical subaltern and the contemporary racialized migrant, focusing on how individuals navigate and resist a system designed for their marginalization. Ultimately, this thesis centers silenced experiences to reveal the human cost of governance, providing a critical report on what it means to be "Othered" in postcolonial Italy and highlighting the resilient agency of those within this highly securitized political space.