Migration and State Sovereignty : Permissions and border immigration policy from the perspective of Christian Social Ethics
Abstract
The book reflects the international migration and immigration policy from the perspective of theological ethics. The author tries to find answers to the following questions: Is the division of the world into particular states ethically acceptible? Is the existence of immigration policies (i. e. the regulation of international migration) justifiable? Answers to these questions go along with many ethical implications that should be accounted for both in immigration policy making as well as the engagement of Christian churches.
First, the text presents a historical overview of nation-state and immigration policy, and it depicts representative models of contemporary immigration policies. The author continues with relevant impulses from modern political philosophy.
The reflection is based especially on the political philosophy of I. Kant and H.
Arendt. Normative issues of contemporary immigration policies are also discussed.
In the last chapters, the author reflects the topic from the perspective of theological ethics. This ethical approach is based on the biblical ethos of accepting strangers and the relation to them and extends to the main principles of Christian social ethics.
These principles - human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity - are discussed in relation to the topic and critically rethought. Finally, the ethical impulses for immigration policy and the activity of Christian Churches are introduced.