Anthem Press has recently published Mexico-US, Serbia-EU Border Lives and Works. Learn more.
Publications
View examples of public personal writing; academic pieces; research reports and policy papers; as well as recent talks and events.
New Publication
An interdisciplinary, accessible study of Mexico–US and Serbia-EU border practices and policies that brings insights of critical border and forced displacement studies to examine histories, policies, violence, models of care, activism, and creativity within these border regimes.
Mexico–US, Serbia–EU Border Lives and Works has been published by Anthem Press. The book is coedited by Lažetić, Dr Carrie Preston, and Dr Muhammad Zaman and emerged from their collaborative work at the Center on Forced Displacement at Boston University.
Public Writing
CRITICAL FORCED DISPLACEMENT MAGAZINE
Banning, Blaming, and Building Walls
Over the past year, as part of our larger research project on migration management and border regimes, we closely analyzed US immigration and border policies from the 1990s until 2024. As we traced immigration policymaking through the decades, one thing became very apparent—fear was at the center of America’s relationship with its immigrants. Written with Ninel Petrosyan.
"The Border Crossed Us"— Memory and Resistance in the Shadow of the Wall
In the area of Rio Grande Valley, cousins Reynaldo "Rey" Anzaldua and Jose Alfredo "Fred" Cavazos have been fighting to keep the border wall from cutting through their ancestral land for over twenty years. In defending their property, the contend that the wall threatens not just property lines but community, memory, and history. Written with Carrie Preston.
Crossed by the Border
In this essay published in the first issue of the Critical Forced Displacement Magazine, I reflect on my experience visiting the reception centers for people on the move in Sarajevo, Bosnia and tackle some of the research and ethical questions that continue to motivate my work.
THE CONVERSATION
The 2021 hurricane season showed US isn’t prepared as climate-related disasters push people deeper into poverty
Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2021, 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina flooded the city. This time the levees held. Billions of dollars invested in reinforcing them had paid off – at least for part of the population. A strong similarity between Ida and Katrina still emerged: Low-income communities and communities of color remain at high risk from hurricanes.
Academic Writing
JOURNAL OF REGIONAL SECURITY
‘Migration Crisis’ and the Far Right Networks in Europe: A Case Study of Serbia
This paper posits that if the EU fails to take a more active role in making integration an attractive option for the Western Balkan countries, the rise of far right movements in the region could present a serious security threat.
Lazetic , M. “‘Migration Crisis’ and the Far Right Networks in Europe: A Case Study of Serbia.” Journal of Regional Security 13, no. 3 (2018): 131–78.
REFUGEES IN TOWNS
Safe in Serbia… Before Continuing the Journey
This case study looks at the legal status, social, and economic life, and opportunities of migrants and refugees in Belgrade, Serbia
Lazetic, M. and Jovanovic, T. “Safe in Serbia… Before Continuing the Journey.” Boston: Refugees in Towns. (2018).
Research Reports & Policy Papers
RESOLVE NETWORK
Migration, Extremism, & Dangerous Blame Games: Developments & Dynamics in Serbia
In 2020 approximately 7,000 migrants and refugees were present within the borders of Serbia at any given time. This presence of migrants within the Balkans did not go unnoticed and, in some cases, even spurred increased activity within and mobilization among far-right actors in the region. This report focuses on dynamics surrounding migration and responses to it from the far-right in Serbia, one of the countries on the Balkan Route.
Lažetić, Marina. Migration, Extremism, & Dangerous Blame Games: Developments & Dynamics in Serbia. Washington, D.C.: RESOLVE Network, 2021. https://doi.org/10.37805/wb2021.1.
CLIMATE POLICY LAB
Climate change,social justice, and dislocation in the United States: Recommendations for Policy Makers
In many regions of the US, the legacies of segregation and lower housing costs mean that low-income and socially vulnerable communities are more likely to live in high-risk areas. In order to address the issue of climate-related displacement and the risks it might pose for human and national security, the US government needs to embrace the concept of internal displacement as a domestic phenomenon. This policy brief discusses the challenges of dislocation in the United States and offers policy recommendations for how the United States can become better prepared and protect its most vulnerable communities.
Lazetic, Marina; Jacobsen, Karen, “Climate change, social justice, and dislocation in the United States: Recommendations for Policy Makers.” Policy Brief, Climate Policy Lab, The Fletcher School, April 2022.
Forthcoming
Migration Governance and Resistance in the Hungary–Serbia Borderlands,”
Lažetić, Marina.
Climate and (Im)mobility Research: A Systematic Review of Current Trends
and Future Directions,”
Lažetić, Marina, Hussein A. Rana, Preston J. Carrie.
Between Evidence and Alarm: Climate Mobility Narratives and the Gap Between Research and Policy,”
Lažetić, Marina, Hussein A. Rana, Preston J. Carrie.
Recent Talks and Events
Please reach out if you have some expertise or interest in collaborating on an event.
Below, are some upcoming and recent events that Lazetic has either participated in as a panelist or helped to organize.
Featured Events
Panels, Symposia, & Conferences
Organized & Chaired
2025
“Ethics in Migration Research: Practical Approaches and Challenges” — Panel Participant and Conference Organizer, Center on Forced Displacement, Boston University
2024
“Transformations of Identity and Belonging” — The Future of Borders, Center on Forced Displacement Annual Conference, Boston University
“Research Ethics, Methods, and Design Workshop,"
Center on Forced Displacement, Boston University
2023
“Border Closures, Violence, and Anti-Immigrant and Extremist Movements," Presenter and Program Designer and Coordinator
Interdisciplinary Summer School on Forced Displacement, Belgrade, Serbia
“Panel Conversation with the CFD Advisory Board: Role of Research Institutions/Centers in Addressing Displacement-Related Issues,"
Center on Forced Displacement Annual Conference, Boston University
Invited Talks and Panels
2025
“EU and the US Borderlands and Civil Society Resistance,”
Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
“Simulation and Experiential Learning Practices in Teaching About Forced Displacement and Border Regimes,”
Round-table presentation and discussion, International Studies Association
2024
“EU “Migration Crisis” and Border Regime,”
Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
2023
“Migration and the Far Right Organizing in Europe,”
Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
“Climate Change-Displacement Nexus – Mobility vs. Immobility,”
School of Cities Workshop on Climate Change Migration, University of Toronto
Podcast Interviews
An Inquisitive Dialogue of Border Lives and Works with Muhummad Zaman, Carrie Preston, and Marina Lažetić
In this episode, Kate and Sabrina sit down with editors Muhammad Zaman, Carrie Preston, and Marina Lažetić to discuss their newest volume, Mexico-US, Serbia-EU: Border Lives and Works. They reflect on the interdisciplinary exploration of how migrants, artists, activists, and researchers navigate, reshape, and define life in global borderlands. Could these parallel challenges possess parallel solutions?
Collaborative Solutions through Academia-Practitioner Partnership
In this episode, Shandra sits down with Marina Lazetic, Director of Programs at CFD, and Alexandra 'Xan' Weber, Chief Advancement Officer and Senior Vice President of the International Institute of New England. They discuss the timely importance of academic and practitioner collaborations in the field of forced displacement, highlighting new initiatives and research both organizations are undertaking together.
