“As if by magic, the gate will open once you have said what you want”: Gateways as Agents in Assemblages

This chapter investigates how symbolic violence is exerted and practices of (in)securitization are performed by inanimate and bodyless objects within an assemblage. The narrative analysis of a disruptive lived experience at the entrance to the German embassy in Stockholm emphasizes the pivotal role of assemblages in configuring power dynamics and agency. The chapter demonstrates that the embassy serves as a “space of constraint” (Busch, The Body Image: Taking an Evaluative Stance Towards Semiotic Resources. International Journal of Multilingualism, 18(2), 190–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1898618 , 2021), where symbolic capital, particularly in terms of access, emerges as a determinant of a subject’s perceived legitimacy at this site. In line with a posthumanist and new materialist approach, this study contributes to research investigating the intricate interplay and interaction between objects and subjects within assemblages and their profound implications for a subject’s social position.