Human rights and/in migration

The sovereignty of the humanitarian

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34024/prometeica.2026.33.21994

Keywords:

Humanitarian government. , Sovereign power. , Human rights. , Anti-immigration policy. , Forced migration.

Abstract

This paper offers a philosophical analysis of the contemporary migratory phenomenon by articulating the categories of sovereignty and human rights. Focusing on the last ten years, it argues that migratory flows are increasingly shaped by humanitarian crises and the intensification of anti-immigration policies. In this context, human rights are examined as conditions of possibility through which different strategies of power are brought into dispute, particularly through humanitarianism, understood as the political vocation of human rights dedicated to protecting life. The study addresses the following central question: what policy of human rights emerges in response to anti-immigration measures? It posits the hypothesis that humanitarianism, rather than opposing sovereign power, is functionally “colonized” by it, resulting in specific forms of humanitarian government designed to manage migrant populations through risk management and the differential governance of life. The argument synthesizes a genealogy of humanitarianism based on the contributions of Foucault, Fassin, and Agier, alongside a case study of the humanitarian visa as a technology of governance. The paper concludes that the sovereignty of the humanitarian reflects the normalization of exceptional measures, seeking to institutionalize humanitarian government as an acceptable political norm.

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Author Biography

  • Jefferson Martins Cassiano, University of Brasília

    Doutor em Filosofia pela Universidade de Brasília (UnB), linha de pesquisa sobre Ética e Política. Publicou em diversas revistas de qualidade nacionais e internacionais. Tem interesse na filosofia contemporânea, especialmente pesquisadores franceses, e temas da atualidade, como o fenômeno do fluxo migratório e ética em Inteligência Artificial. Participação em Grupos de Pesquisas, como Ética e Filosofia Política, e Núcleo de Expressão da Filosofia Francesa, ambos filiados a UnB. Parecerista para revistas especializadas em Filosofia. Participante de congressos e seminários de filosofia e áreas a fim, com apresentações autorais.

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Published

2026-07-15

Issue

Vol. 33 (2026): Prometeica - v 33 (01/2026- 12/2026)

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Jefferson Martins Cassiano

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Received 2026-03-04
Accepted 2026-05-12
Published 2026-07-15

How to Cite

Cassiano, J. M. (2026). Human rights and/in migration: The sovereignty of the humanitarian. Prometeica - Journal of Philosophy and Science, 33, e21994 (1-21). https://doi.org/10.34024/prometeica.2026.33.21994