The haunted and the hunted: young, male and mobile between Africa and Europe

This article contributes to the literature on masculinities, using a decolonial lens to engage with questions of mobility. The literature and policy on gender and migration overwhelmingly problematises women and children. By contrast, young African migrant men often exist outside of protection systems, even if they die in greater numbers en route. In a context in which only the vulnerable are eligible for protection, and in which the world is hierarchically organised by race and gender, we contend that both geronto-patriarchy (the demand for veneration of the elders dictating a status quo) during formative phases of a young man’s life, and the racism acted out by European government agencies and other international actors, create conditions that escalate the ‘sorting mechanisms’ that young black men have to navigate. Based on research in Africa and Europe, we address the challenges faced by young migrant men at the intersection of age, gender, race and mobility, and capture some of the complex negotiations young African men undertake when moving across hierarchies, policy frameworks and border regimes. We argue that rights and needs-based approaches, like those found in international instruments, fail to offer meaningful protection to young men as they rest on patriarchal and racist ordering principles.