Neske Baerwaldt is a PhD candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute.

More information about Neske Baerwaldt

Neske Baerwaldt is a PhD candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute. Her research is part of the NWO funded research project led by Professor M.A.H. van der Woude, titled Getting to the Core of Crimmigration, which explores and compares border governance in different municipalities along Europe’s internal borders.

Neske’s project focusses on the German-Austrian border region. Drawing on qualitative methods, her research examines how border governance in the region evolved after stationary checks were officially lifted in 1998. In particular, she examines the local struggles which took place at three watershed moments (1998; 2008; 2015) over the mandate to perform alternative forms of border control, and how the resulting shifting bordering practices differentially impacted people living, working, and travelling in the region. Theoretically, her research is concerned with the interconnectivity of borders, capitalism, humanitarianism, race, class, and gender.

Neske completed her Research Master Social Sciences (with distinction) at the University of Amsterdam. After obtaining her degree, Neske worked as a Humanitarian Affairs Officer with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.