Beyond the Birthright Lottery

The Case for Open Borders and Inclusive Citizenship

How did you get your citizenship? Let me guess. You were born with the one you have now. There is a good chance my guess is right. Citizenship is, first and foremost, a matter of birth.

However, birth can be framed in different ways. A German may say that she is German because she was born to German parents. And an American may say that he is American because he was born on American soil.

One immediately notices the difference. Becoming German is mainly a matter of ancestry. Hence the name jus sanguinis for birthright citizenship qua blood. Becoming American is mainly a matter of territory. Hence the name jus soli for birthright citizenship qua birth on the territory. „Beyond the Birthright Lottery“ weiterlesen

“The best passports in the world” – The structural violence of EU visa policies

Just as none of us is beyond geography, none of us is completely free from the struggle over geography. That struggle is complex and interesting because it is not only about soldiers and cannons but also about ideas, about forms, about images and imaginings.
— Edward W. Said: Culture and Imperialism, 1993

Media outlets around the world have time and again enlightened their readers and viewers about “the best passports in the world“ in the past several years, among them CNN, The Financial Times, Business Insider, and The Telegraph. In April 2016, Arton Capital’s Passport Index has launched an interactive colour-coded map aiming to collect and rank passports according to criteria such as power and ‘hospitality’, each leading to remarkably different results. „“The best passports in the world” – The structural violence of EU visa policies“ weiterlesen

Bildungschancen für alle – und zwar jetzt!

In der SPD herrschten nach der Kür von Martin Schulz zum Kanzlerkandidaten Euphorie und Aufbruchstimmung. Nicht zuletzt der Kandidat träumt von der Kanzlerschaft. Doch die Landtagswahlen im Saarland, in Schleswig-Holstein und in Nordrhein-Westfalen haben gezeigt, dass aus Personalien allein keine Regierungsmehrheit folgt. Um beim Wähler nachhaltig zu punkten, braucht man Inhalte. Schulz’ erste zaghafte Versuche in diese Richtung gingen die meiste Zeit nicht über Schlagworte hinaus: Die Agenda 2010 wolle er reformieren und für mehr soziale Gerechtigkeit in Deutschland sorgen. Letzteres hatten sich zuvor schon Grüne und Linke aufs Plakat geschrieben. Die Forderung findet in der Regel Anklang – wie könnte es auch anders sein? Aber was genau bedeutet es, wenn ein Staat sozial gerecht ist? Und was müssen wir in Deutschland ändern, damit ein sozial gerechter Staat entsteht?

„Bildungschancen für alle – und zwar jetzt!“ weiterlesen