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On Immigration and Refugees, September 24, 2011
The Thinking in Action series has a number of significant philosophers among its author such as John Caputo, Zizek, Derrida and Mouffe. In On Immigration and Refugees Michael Dummett branches out into territory outside his academic specialism - Dummett is Emeritus Professor of Logic at Oxford University and usually works in the areas of logic, metaphysics and the philosophy of mathematics. Generally the feeling from the reviews I have read of this book are positive. However, I am less impressed and the fact that Dummett is working outside his specialism is in my opinion evident.
In line with the laudable ethos of the series Dummett begins by stating that notwithstanding his academic specialisms he has "a general belief that it is the duty of intellectuals to engage in any matter to which they see they can contribute" (xii). While it is true that Dummett has not published in the field of political philosophy before he does have substantial experience over many years as an activist in supporting immigrants, often at the point of entry where they had been refused admittance.
To the extent that On Immigration and Refugees has a philosophical argument it is in part one of the book where Dummett offers as a brute fact that individuals should always have a right of emigration and immigration and, from the point of view of asylum seekers, the unfettered right to seek asylum. As such Dummett is in favour of a presumption toward open borders, it is the right of individuals to seek to fulfil ther ambitions for life whereever they choose live with only minimal legitimate reasons for non-admittence (such as criminality and preventing "cultural submergence"). I have no doubt cogent arguments can be made for open borders but Dummett simply does not make them philosophically. In fact, the more open the border the less relevent questions of asylum are.
On the practical level it is posited by Dummett that immigration controls are predicated on racism and the supression of those in poverty. However, Dummett makes no attempt to counter the claims of those such as those of the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration Policy and Strategy (Compas) that immigration is harmful to the poor; consider the following conclusion concerning the emigration of Zimbabwe's healthcare professionals (often encouraged by receiving countries): "The migration of skilled health workers from the country needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency because it has reached critical levels. There has to be a political will to address the grievances of health workers without confrontations. Arresting the current brain drain from public health institutions should be one of the government's major goals. It needs to be appreciated that a healthy health sector is a prerequisite for economic growth and sustainable development because it ensures the availability of a healthy workforce. Thus, the research shows that there is a call to adopt and implement an integrated policy that will retain skilled health professionals in the country for the benefit of the main users of public health systems, the poor."
It will not do, as Dummett does, to just ignore such complaints and the book is seriously weakened by its failure to engage such issues. On a more philosophical level I must admit I was astounded to see so little philosophical reflection on issues of nationalism, sovereignty and communitarianism that are so central to the debate. Hence a philosopher like Michael Walzer who has been active in the philosophy of multi-culturalism and, as a result, favours immigration controls is not so much as even mentioned. This is such a crucial subject that the failure to cover it is a critical failing.
This broad-brushstroke approach is present also in the second part of the book which, although devoid of all specifically philosophical comment is an improvement on the first. The critical failure of the UK immigration and asylum system is its subservience to the hateful politics of racism which Dummett claims still capture the majority of the British public and are encouraged by media misrepresentations and politician's chasing after votes; in one breathtaking generalisation Dummett states all (or nearly all - Dummett is not-specific) immigration staff are racist and need to be replaced (which would indicate to me that Dummett is not suggesting this is the institutional racism that was diagnosed in the Police in the aftermath of the Lawrence inquiry where reform is possible or a discriminatory policy framework - Dummett differentiates the policy from staff actions but racism of a different and more personal sort. p. 70). I am afraid when a philosopher makes such ridiculous and overextended claims without any evidence I simply do not take the argument seriously; it is most certainly not the stuff of a philosophical enquiry.
This is a shame for hidden amongst the rant are some important and interesting issues such as feasibility of a multilateral asylum policy based on international cooperation but such ideas are very much diamonds in the rough of a dissapointing book.
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