What does it mean for anthropologists to study citizenship,
traditionally the domain of political scientists and philosophers?  In
this course we will examine anthropological approaches that focus on
citizenship as a form of practice.  We will study how people
experience citizenship as a critical part of their identity and what
happens when that identity is changed or challenged.  We will explore
how citizenship is produced and reinforced in sites such as border
crossings and checkpoints, in written documents such as identity cards
and passports, and in acts such as voting or deciding to leave one’s
home country.  Course topics will include immigration experiences,
“mail-order marriages”, migrant workers, trafficking in women and
children, and refugees, among others.  We will adopt a global
perspective on citizenship practices, questioning the role of national
governments in the formation of transnational identities.