Small and removed from the Spanish mainland, the Enclave of Ceuta has always depended
on flows of goods and labour out of the Moroccan hinterland, with individuals from
different ethnic and religious groups forming informal, flexible and personal economic
bonds based on mutual ‘confianza’ (trust). Since its entry into the European Union in 1986,
the Spanish government has erected a border-wall around the enclave, and introduced new
migration policies branding many informal workers within its borders as a threat to Spanish
society. Based on my preliminary months of research, this paper compares the Ceutan
context with other research recently conducted on the topics of migration and borders in
the Mediterranean region. It brings into focus key theoretical issues and assumptions that
constantly emerge in such literature, particularly regarding the role of ‘a-cultural’ personal
ties between migrants and locals in undermining State categories and ideology. This paper
observes how the Ceutan case encourages us to expand our focuses and consequently
problematise our understanding of crucial concepts such as ‘trust’ and ‘integration’
