Historically, colonial settlers followed ‘divide and rule’ strategies to carve up the world based on resources, ignoring native socio-economic and cultural linkages to their lands. ‘B/order/ology’ (Houtum, 2010) cannot be entirely understood by ignoring European colonial historiography.

Based on extensive fieldwork, Axelsson examines how Chinese imports have come to be perceived as threats to the Ghanaian economy and nation by virtue of being either smuggled, counterfeit or ‘morally unjust’. This construction as unjust is because these textiles are produced in China and therefore will not provide employment for Ghanaian workers, while simultaneously drawing symbolic value national culture.

This is an unashamedly partisan book, which nails its colours firmly to the anti-prison and immigrant justice masts – and the success of the collection is all the greater for it. A timely, insightful and diverse collection, it spans an enormous range of issues and perspectives and offers a rich discussion of the connections between prisons, migration policing and detention, border fortification and militarisation.

This is a book of short essays that bridges diverse political themes and histories, disciplinary backgrounds, and geographical scales through a resolute engagement with motifs of division. The essays share an empirical focus on the cities and border-zones of post Cold-War Europe, and a conceptual interest in complex processes of social and spatial identity formation.

In this interview, Natalie Oswin speaks to Gerry Pratt about her latest book, "Families Apart: Migrant Mothers and the Conflicts of Labor and Love", among other topics.