Luisa Feline Freier is a doctoral research affiliate of the Refugee Law Initiative (RLI) of the School of Advanced Studies, University of London, and a doctoral fellow of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. Luisa holds a M.A. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a B.A. from the University of Cologne. Her doctoral research focuses on immigration and asylum policy reforms in Latin America and recent extra-continental south-south migration to the region. She has carried out in-depth fieldwork in Argentina, Ecuador and Mexico, and her work has been published in research reports, edited volumes and academic journals, including the International Migration Review (IMR).
Thesis
Populist liberalism and migrant rights: Determinants and effects of Latin American immigration and asylum policy liberalization
Luisa’s research analyses the determinants and effects of Latin American immigration and asylum policy liberalization in the light of populist liberalism. A liberal discourse of universally welcoming all immigrants, irrespective of their origin and migratory status, has replaced the formally restrictive, securitized and not seldomly ethnically selective immigration rhetoric in the region. This discursive liberalization has found partial translation into immigration laws and policies, but, contrary to the universality of rights claimed in their discourses, governments reject recently increasing irregular south-south migration from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to varying degrees.
Supervisor: Dr Eiko Thielemann|
Research interests
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Determinants of migration and migration policy
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south-south migration
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human rights
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rule of law
Publications
2015
Cantor, David, Luisa Feline Freier and Jean-Pierre Gauci (eds.), A Liberal Tide: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Latin American Migration and Asylum Policy-making, Titles in the Studies of the Americas Series, UCL, forthcoming.
Freier, Luisa Feline and Diego Acosta Arcarazo, “Beyond smoke and mirrors? Discursive gaps in the liberalisation of South American immigration laws” in: Cantor, David, Luisa Feline Freier and Jean-Pierre Gauci (eds.), A Liberal Tide: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Latin American Migration and Asylum Policy‐making, Titles in the Studies of the Americas Series, UCL, forthcoming.
Ceriani, Pablo and Luisa Feline Freier, “Lights and shadows in Latin American immigration legislation” in: Cantor, David, Luisa Feline Freier and Jean-Pierre Gauci (eds.), A Liberal Tide: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Latin American Migration and Asylum Policy-making, Titles in the Studies of the Americas Series, UCL, forthcoming.Freier,
Luisa Feline, “A liberal paradigm shift? A Critical Appraisal of Recent Trends in Latin American asylum legislation” in, Jean-Pierre Gauci et al. (eds.), Exploring the boundaries of refugee law: current protection challenges, Brill Publishers, forthcoming.
2014
Acosta Arcarazo, Diego and Luisa Feline Freier, “Turning the immigration policy paradox up-side down? Populist liberalism and discursive gaps in South America,” International Migration Review, forthcoming.
2010
Book review: “Surviving on the Move: Migration, Poverty and Development, Jonathan Crush & Bruce Frayne (eds.)”, Politea, South African Journal for Political Science and Public Administration, 29 (3), 2010.
2009
“How Our Lady of Guadalupe became Lutheran: Latin American Immigration and Religious Change”, Migraciones Internacionales, Vol. 5, Núm. 2 Julio – Diciembre, 2009.
2008
“Religion, Ethnicity and Immigrant Integration: ‘Latino Lutherans’ versus ‘Mexican Catholics’ in a Midwestern city”, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2008.
Contact
l.f.freier@lse.ac.uk|