Not a day passes without political discussion of immigration. Reception of immigrants, their treatment, strategies seeing to their inclusion, management of migration flows, limitation of their numbers, the selection of immigrants; all are ongoing dialogues. European Societies, Migration, and the Law shows that immigrants, regardless of their individual status, their different backgrounds, or their different histories and motivations to move across borders, are often seen as 'the other' to the imaginary society of nationals making up the receiving (nation-)states. This book provides insights into this issue of 'othering' in the field of immigration and asylum law and policy in Europe. It provides an introduction to the mechanisms of 'othering' and reveals strategies and philosophies which lead to the 'othering' of immigrants. It exposes the tools applied in the implementation and application of legislation that separate, deliberately or not, immigrants from the receiving society.

‘Moritz Jesse has assembled a superb group of scholars to debate one of the most pressing legal and political questions in today´s Europe, namely the inclusion of non-nationals in host societies and the concept of otherness. By offering not only a careful theoretical analysis of various aspects such as entry bans, family reunion or resettlement, but also complementing it with detailed examples from countries such as the UK, Netherlands and Bulgaria, the book will be an essential reading to academics, policymakers and postgraduate students.’

Diego Acosta - Professor in European and Migration Law, University of Bristol