A Spatial Theory of the Camp: Geopolitics, Biopolitics and the Immunitarian State
Dr. Richard Carter-White – Macquarie University
The past century has witnessed a global proliferation of camps, yet there remains little consensus about what exactly defines ‘the camp’. This seminar introduces a book project (Carter-White and Minca 2025) that aims to develop a spatial theory of the camp, with two main objectives: to explore the geographical logics and practices that unite camps that are very different, specifically concentration and refugee camps; and to understand why the camp has become such an integral tool of contemporary governance, and what this reveals about the modern nation-state. Through a parallel analysis of historical concentration camps and contemporary refugee camps, the book conceptualizes ‘the camp’ as an institution through which demographic groups who are considered ‘outsiders’ or ‘unwanted’ are both separated from but also exposed to broader society. Drawing on Italian political philosophy, the book theorizes the deeper geopolitical and biopolitical meanings of this practice as an attempt at ‘immunizing’ the nation-state from its inherent state of crisis.