Policing and mobility of Russian migrants in Belgian cities, 1880-1914

Description: Under the supervision of Christophe Verbruggen and Margo De Koster, this project researches how Belgian police forces, in collaboration with the French police and Russian secret services, tracked, monitored and possibly caught and deported fugitive Eastern European migrants, 1880-1914. At the same time, this study also considers and examines the strategies used by the migrants themselves to escape the police surveillance and possible persecution. Thus, this research explores how in a constant legislative context the practice of surveillance, expulsion and cooperation between foreign police bodies evolved through its interaction with the strategies used by the monitored and prosecuted Russian migrants to avoid detection and punishment.
Promoter(s): Christophe Verbruggen , Margo De Koster
Researcher(s): Maïté Van Vyve
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Period of time: 2018 - 2025