Work

Legalism, national ideals and the contested morality of racial profiling in border checks

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In this paper, we ask how Finnish border guards present and legitimize profiling practices in border checks at the external Schengen border. Through a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with border guards and observation of their basic training, we demonstrate how a pervasive nationalized ideal of legalism, coupled with the formulation of the ban on ethnic profiling in Finnish legislation, allows for a narrow definition of ethnic profiling and for subsequently presenting the ban as irrelevant to policing in border checks. Legalism historically has a strong role in the Finnish national narrative, which builds on self-perceptions of an egalitarian and ‘good’ welfare state without a colonial past. We demonstrate through this example how legalism gains a central role in the logics of the ‘racial welfare state’ by legitimizing racialized structures of policing and making the multi-faceted realities of human conduct difficult to openly address.

Source: Social & Legal Studies

DOI: 10.1177/09646639261483966

Authors: Nora Fabritius, Suvi Keskinen

Institution: University of Helsinki

Language: English

Topic: Policing Practices and Perceptions

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650