Abstract
In this chapter, I examine the inchoate articulation of rights in two recent texts about refugees: Martínez’s The Beast, a work of investigative journalism and a compelling account of the journey of Central American refugees across Mexico, and Rosi’s film, Fuocoammare, a record of those who, seeking refuge, attempt to make the treacherous crossing from North Africa to the island of Lampedusa. I suggest that though these narratives are deeply moving they place insufficient emphasis on a radical analysis of the conditions that lead to migration in the first place: for instance, they fail to explore how refugees’ rights can be negotiated within a larger imperial global narrative that is inextricably linked to the production and regulation of surplus populations. I conclude that the two texts relegate human rights issues to a mode of storytelling that leaves little room for the sort of understanding and analysis necessary for effecting structural change.