“Imagining Europe, reaching Ceuta: mobility narratives and the making of an in-between space”.

This thesis investigates the narratives of young People on the move toward Europe, with particular attention to how different imaginaries of Europe are formed before departure and how they are reworked upon arrival at Europe’s border in Ceuta. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Ceuta with young People on the move, the study explores how imaginaries of Europe before departure often intersect with a broader system of meanings involving aspirations, visible success, peer-to-peer feedback, disillusionment and narratives about the journey. This thesis further investigates how Ceuta functions as a form of threshold Europe: geographically part of the European Union yet experienced as ambivalent and incomplete. Through its geographical position, border regime and social composition, Ceuta is often perceived among People on the move as an “in-between” place between two worlds, which further influences the desire to continue “going up” toward what is imagined as the “real Europe”.

This thesis investigates the narratives of young people on the move toward Europe, with particular attention to how different imaginaries of Europe are formed prior to departure and how they are reworked upon arrival at Europe’s border in Ceuta. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews conducted in Ceuta with young people on the move, the study explores how imaginaries of Europe intersect with a broader system of meanings involving aspirations, visible success, peer-to-peer feedback, disillusionment and narratives about the journey. This thesis further explores how Ceuta functions as a form of threshold Europe: geographically part of the European Union yet experienced as ambivalent and incomplete. Through its geographical position, border regime and social composition, Ceuta is often perceived by participants as an “in-between” place between two worlds, not representing the fulfilment of aspirations, but rather a place where these are shared, reworked and reinforced.