Extreme and extremist geographies: commentary on the revanchist impulse and its consequences for everyday bordering

Abstract

Political xenophobia needs to be explained politically. At the same time, while political xenophobia is not a necessary consequence of neoliberalism, the idea of what counts as ‘political’ needs to be expanded. I suggest that one fruitful, non-reductionist strategy for understanding the consequences of identitary bordering consists in exploring links between securitization and the politicization of identity and national belonging. Inspired by the ideas of Henk van Houtum and Rodrigo Bueno Lacy, I approach the extreme geographies of identity politics from an ethical and philosophical perspective, arguing that a powerful revanchist and self-referential narrative of authenticity and autonomy is influencing both everyday bordering practices and the way security is discursively framed.