Title: The sanctuary spectrum: (re)imagining the sanctuary to come through the lens of higher education

Authors: Tanya Aberman; Rebecca Murray

Addresses: Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada ' The Wave, The University of Sheffield, 2 Whitham Rd, Sheffield, S10 2AH, UK

Abstract: In this article we utilise an abolitionist lens to interrogate initiatives delivered under the auspices of 'sanctuary' within the higher education (HE) sector in order to (re)imagine it in this space. 'Sanctuary' is broadly understood to mean safety and protection - underpinned by the need to resist immigration control and create spaces of refuge for precarious migrants. The 'sanctuary spectrum' is a medium through which we explore conceptual thinking pertaining to sanctuary initiatives, centring on bordering, deservingness, care and solidarity, as it facilitates the inclusion of diverse perspectives and interpretations. Situating and analysing sanctuary initiatives in HE on this spectrum from an abolitionist framework allows exploration of the fluidity of their interpretation, as either actions that seek to radically change structures and inherent inequalities (non-reformist) or render existing structures tolerable (reformist). This offers the potential to connect existing and shape new strategies to build an inclusive abolitionist sanctuary movement.

Keywords: sanctuary spectrum; migration; higher education; bordering; abolition; grassroots praxis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2024.145475

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 2024 Vol.8 No.3/4, pp.280 - 300

Received: 18 Dec 2023
Accepted: 11 Jul 2024
Published online: 01 Apr 2025 *

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