Evening symposium | Administrative Limbos: Exploring Conditions of Entrapment Among Racialised Citizens, Ethnic Minorities and Migrants
On 4 September 2025, we are organising the MIGLOBA x GOVTRUST symposium on administrative limbos and racialised citizens. In this cross-over event between migration studies and public administration, we will zoom in on the question of how racialised citizens can become stuck in liminality and what the impact of such experiences are.
In recent years, multiple studies have explored how asylum seekers and refugees may find themselves in conditions of limbo, characterised by waiting that can last years, as well as a suspension of time associated with the permanence in liminal areas, such as camps and other border zones (Brun and Fabos, 2015). However, research has increasingly suggested that limbo-like situations are not limited to migration affairs. Limbo seems to be part of the everyday life for many groups of citizens when engaging with bureaucratic systems. Especially, individuals belonging to ethnic minorities, migrants and racialised citizens are disproportionally confronted with delays over missing documents, administrative exceptions and racially targeted burdens (Moynihan et al., 2022).
The evening symposium is hosted by Bjorn Kleizen (GOVTRUST Centre of Excellence) and Milena Belloni (MIGLOBA).
Program of the evening
During the evening symposium, two experts (Bjorn Kleizen & Milena Belloni) will discuss the state of the art on administrative limbo and how government and civil society should respond. In addition, we will welcome practitioners as keynote speakers to provide their own contributions, drawing on their experience with administrative limbo. The symposium will finish with a panel discussion with all speakers. We will close the evening with a reception. The program will contain contributions by:
- Suzanne Arakelyan, AKL Advocaten (in Dutch) |Topic: Legal limbo and the Dutch childcare benefits affair
- Simon Horsten, MOVE Coalition | Topic: Administrative detention of migrants
- Milena Belloni & Bjorn Kleizen, UAntwerpen | Topic: The state of the art on administrative limbo & racialization, drawing on sociology and public administration scholarship
The symposium is open to all. It will particularly appeal to academics, policymakers, civil society actors, and practitioners interested in migration, governance, and the challenges of administrative limbo.
Please register as soon as possible. Registration and participation is free. [registration form]
- Venue: Hof Van Liere, F. Tassis room (Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp)
- Date: Thursday, 4 September 2025
- Time: session from 17:00-18:30 CET (registration opens at 16:30, reception at 18:30)
We hope to see you all there!
Milena Belloni & Bjorn Kleizen