Solidarity as an Industry: The Privatisation of Public Responsibilities

Solidarity is a key principle in asylum policy. However, it has increasingly become commodified through the privatisation of responsibilities, with labour outsourced to private consultancy firms. Consultancies aim to help states streamline procedures and “maximise productivity”, fostering a corporate-driven approach to asylum. This dynamic raises critical questions about accountability, particularly in cases of human rights violations, as states may deflect responsibility to corporations, while corporations claim to merely execute policies, not shape them. This project explores current and future challenges for the legal system concerning asylum and ways in which they can be artistically represented and visualised.

Participants in the Project 

Dr. Eleni Karageorgiou is a senior researcher at the Faculty of Law, Lund University. She has previously worked at the Department of Law, University of Gothenburg and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and was a visiting research fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University. Her work on international law, refugee protection and solidarity in the European Union has featured in publications such as the Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law, Nordic Journal of International Law, Research Handbook on Human Rights and Poverty, and Perspectives on European Politics and Society. Karageorgiou has conducted commissioned work for several institutions, including the European Parliament and contributed to global consultations organised by UN Independent Experts on questions of human rights and solidarity. Her current research includes an investigation of the implications of EU externalisation practices, and a critical enquiry into international responsibility in the context of migration governance.

Martin Bengtsson is a scriptwriter, playwright and director. He studied literary composition at the Valand Academy and also studied at the Malmö Theatre Academy. Bengtsson wrote the Kristallen-nominated drama series Threesome and Börje. He is the author of the book I skuggan av San Siro, which formed the basis for Sweden’s 2022 Oscar entry Tigrar. Martin is a regular guest teacher on the dramatic writing programme, specialising in screenplays for film and television. 

Jörgen Dahlqvist is a playwright, director and artistic researcher. Since 2003, he has been the artistic director of the Swedish theatre collective Teatr Weimar, which was awarded the Carl Åkerman Award by the Swedish Academy in 2013. His works have been presented in major theatre institutions in Sweden as well as internationally. Dahlqvist’s research areas include how technology informs novel ways of representing society, how to conceptualise and develop new artistic methods and representational formats in theatre as well as how to promote creative agency in collaborative work. His PhD project explores how theatre can provide an arena for democratic dialogue and how this also provides an opportunity to rethink the role of theatre in society. He is part of the steering committee of the Crocus Research Network.

Fredrik Haller is a senior lecturer in dramaturgy and has been head of the Malmö Theatre Academy, Lund University, since 2024. In recent years, Haller has focused on developing methods in dramatic writing, which has led to a major revision of the dramatic writing programme at the institution. His interests also include methods for co-writing for stage and television/film. In addition, he has been involved in developing models for collaboration between artists and academia to be used in projects linked to contemporary social challenges. Besides his work at the Malmö Theatre Academy, he has also been active as a freelance director and playwright, producing works for Teatr Weimar, as well as Dramaten, Malmö Stadsteater and Uppsala Stadsteater and others.