‘Request Denied’: Some Elements of a Sociology of Translation and Treason for Border and Migration Studies

Digital information and identification technologies offer state authorities new means for rendering individual subjects entire population legible. Based on fieldwork at a migrant reception centre in Berlin, this article investigates how migrants hitherto unknown to are translated into re-identifiable, governable with the help of various digital devices. Conceptually, complements sociology translation vocabulary treason better account coercion, force violence as well instances resistance, friction break-down assembling related socio-technical networks. It shows that such an ANT-inspired framework, while facilitating radically situated analysis, allows exposing larger strategies power. Through detailed analysis registration procedures paper develops three interrelated arguments digitisation border migration management: First, processes not reducible securitisation migration. They logistification management which revolves around logic efficiency. The link between resides, secondly, authorities’ attempts establish migrants’ traceability. This is accomplished through production biometric identifiers allocation personal numbers (PINs) function spokespersons migrants. fact often have contest accounts shared by these informants future encounters highlights, thirdly, legibility involves significant degrees ontological violence.