Eline Wærp

 Eline Wærp

Eline Wærp is a PhD student in International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) at the Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö university. She has a background in Political Science and International Relations, and her research focuses on the European Border and Coast Guard agency’s (Frontex) role in securitizing migration.

Hosting institute
  • Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg
Current affiliation
  • Malmö university
Key expertise
  • Frontex
  • Securitization
  • EU border control
  • Irregularized migration
Regional expertise
  • Europe

Profile according to FFVT taxonomy

Fields of research
  • Governance Research
  • Migration Research
Scientific topics
  • Borders
  • Civil Society Engagement
  • Humanitarianism
Disciplines
  • Political Sciences
  • Other

Professional Career

Relevant publications

  • Waerp, E.Shifting Borders’ and Shifting Responsibility? Towards a More Just Model of Global Mobility.2022.MIM Working Paper Series, 22(4).
  • Waerp, E.Frontex - Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution?’.2021.Blog post, summer school ‘Borders and Migration in Digital Times’.
  • Waerp, E.Book review of Cetta Mainwaring’s (2019) At Europe’s Edge: Migration and Crisis in the Mediterranean.2020.International Journal of Refugee Law, 32(3), 564-567.

Research profile

Q1. Who are you?  

My name is Eline Wærp and I’m a PhD student in International Migration and Ethnic Relations (IMER) at the Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö university. I have a background in Political Science and International Relations, and am currently focusing on the role of Frontex’s risk analyses in securitizing migration. 

Q2. What was your motivation for applying for the FFVT fellowship? Why Germany? 

I applied for the FFVT fellowship because it seemed like a very interesting project, which brings together scholars from different disciplines all over Germany. Since I am towards the end of my PhD, I thought it would be a good opportunity to exchange ideas and network with researchers outside of my own academic context. 

Q3. What do you expect from the fellowship? 

I hope that the fellowship will be a fruitful arena for knowledge sharing and allow me to meet other researchers working on similar topics. I would be very interested in participating in events across the FFVT institutions, and think that the fellowship will provide me with a nice change of scenery as I’m writing up my dissertation and planning the next steps. 

Q4. What is the focus of your work, and what is innovative about it? / What are your planned outcomes and activities for the fellowship period? And how do they relate to your FFVT hosting institution/ the FFVT cooperation project? 

I am interested in Frontex’s knowledge production, and particularly how its risk analyses constitute a specific kind of ‘border knowledge’ which has a securitized ontology and epistemology. While much research has focused on Frontex’s operations, its role as a knowledge producer has been largely overlooked. I hope that the fellowship will provide me with some peace of mind to finalize my dissertation and start thinking about what I would like to do next. I think the CHREN is an exciting institution to be part of, and its work on refugees and migrants’ rights could not be more relevant in the current global context of mass displacement.