William Fricker from the School of Geography at Nottingham University is the winner of the 2025 Best Undergraduate Dissertation Award for their project entitled: The Investigating Narratives of the Dover-Calais Migrant Crisis from Positions of Authority and Power.
Congratulations William on a fantastic dissertation! The assessment committee was impressed by the topic and the rigorous development of a well theorized and grounded methodology that critically examines how the Dover-Calais border as a dynamic and changing space, operates as tool for political discourse, reinforcing state sovereignty and exclusionary narratives. Its mixed method approach and critical analysis of the findings from interviews and survey responses with enforcement stakeholders is an insightful contribution to carceral geography studies. Well done!
Dissertation Title: The Investigating Narratives of the Dover-Calais Migrant Crisis from Positions of Authority and Power
Abstract: The Dover-Calais border is an inherently geographical site, where the spatiality of borders intersects with themes of exclusion, fragmentation, discretion, and securitisation. Beyond its function as a physical demarcation, the border operates as a tool for political discourse, reinforcing sovereignty and exclusionary narratives (Agnew, 2003; De Genova, 2013). This dissertation critically examines the Dover side of the border, to interrogate how individuals in positions of authority construct and enforce narratives of British border governance. Drawing on a mixed-methods approach, the research uncovers a hierarchical distribution of power and responsibility. The interplay between risk and responsibility is particularly important in shaping political-media discourses and in sustaining hidden border mechanisms that function to legitimise state policy (Freedman, 2016). Through the conceptual lenses of ‘borderwork’ and ‘securitisation’, this study situates the Dover-Calais border within a transdisciplinary framework of border geographies, interrogating its dual role as a protective barrier and a performative site of governmental authority (Rumford, 2008). Ultimately, this dissertation highlights the critical role of borders in mediating state power, public perception, and migration governance, advocating for further scholarly engagement with postcolonial geographies and geographies of extremism to unpack the legacies of border politics (Davies et al., 2024