PHIL 440: Citizenship, Statelessness and Migration

Number of Sections: 1 | Day and Time: T & TH (19:00-20:40 ICT)

Course Description

This course investigates the philosophical foundations and moral dilemmas surrounding citizenship, migration, and statelessness in an increasingly interconnected yet divided world. Drawing from contemporary political philosophy, the course investigates what it means to belong to a political community, why citizenship matters, and whether states are permissible to close their borders. Through theoretical inquiry and global case studies, the course asks: What is citizenship, and why does it matter ethically and politically? What does it mean to belong to a political community? Who should have the right to move, to stay, or to be recognized as a citizen? Are refugees and stateless persons entitled to special treatment or protection? What are the ethical implications of guest worker programs that offer labor without full membership? Should irregular migrants be granted legal protections or rights despite their undocumented status? Is detention or deportation of migrants ever ethically justifiable?

The course is structured into three interconnected parts:

• Part I: Citizenship explores foundational questions about belonging, including birthright citizenship, naturalization, and social membership beyond legal status.
• Part II: Statelessness investigates the condition of having no nationality, focusing on refugees, displaced groups like the Rohingya, and the moral implications of being denied the right to have rights.

Part III: Migration and Borders debates the ethics of migration control, rights to migrate or exclude, the impact of migration on sending and receiving states, and the implications of detention, deportation, and irregular status.

Prerequisites:

PHIL 201: Intro to Political Philosophy