Fortress Fascism: Border Authoritarianism and Activist Struggles

In this insightful and timely conversation, moderated by Esme Smithson Swain, Nandita Sharma, Silky Shah, Mahamat Daoud, and Seán Binder investigate the rise of what has been coined “Fortress Fascism.” They retrace the fascist tendencies inherent in the border regimes of nation-states, discuss continuities and discontinuities between neoliberal and fascist border militarization, and delve into questions such as how the rise of border authoritarianism has affected their respective work as activists and scholars, the conditions that enable its rise, the affects and emotions it mobilizes, as well as possible strategies of resistance.

This event took place on December 1, 2025, and was organized by Emergencies of Authoritarianism and Critical Theory Under Pressure.

Panelists:

Nandita Sharma is Professor of Sociology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and an activist scholar in the No Borders movement and movements struggling for the Planetary Commons. She is the author of Home Rule: National Sovereignty and the Separation of Natives and Migrants. Silky Shah is Executive Director of Detention Watch Network (US) and the author of Unbuild Walls: Why Immigrant Justice Needs Abolition. Mahamat Daoud is a human rights defender and organizer with Refugees in Libya. Seán Binder is a criminal lawyer and former civilian rescue coordinator. Esme Smithson Swain is an activist and campaigner with MiGreat (NL) and the Border Violence Monitoring Coordinator for No Name Kitchen.