Recorded March 4, 2021.

This fifth episode of the Hublic Sphere, hosted by Dr Lilith Acadia, brings together five remarkable scholars, lawyers, and activists to discuss how the concept of ‘citizenship’ creates power.

The January 6th insurrection in Washington DC inspired this episode, yet it has much broader relevance in the US (such as Trump’s family separation policy and the ongoing deportation of children under the Biden administration), Europe (from post-Brexit questions about the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland to the frequent tragedies in the Mediterranean), and globally, as the world grapples with an influx of climate and political refugees.

The topic is also rooted in Dr Acadia’s research, which asks how concepts like ‘religion’ or ‘citizenship’ that we take for granted are actually modern (or European Enlightenment) constructions that enjoy epistemic privilege, which means that knowledge related to those concepts have more power. Acadia is particularly interested in how those concepts are used as pretexts, excuses for imperialism, and injustice. From global migration to voting rights, we can see in our world today how governments or even certain fringe groups are imbuing a naturalized concept of citizenship with special power, which they then use to justify denying some people rights, or even as a pretext for violence.

Speakers include Amy Liu; Evelyn Tsao; Jeremy Bierbach; Michael Bellesiles; and Sahar Ahmed.

To find out more, visit: bit.ly/hublicsphere

Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/