On 31 May 2023 at 16:00 (CEST), the UNU Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) will host an online seminar featuring Dr Thomas Swerts of Erasmus University Rotterdam, on his forthcoming book, “Citizen X: A transatlantic ethnography of undocumented activism”(University of Chicago Press).
Based on years of immersion as an ally of migrants in Chicago and Brussels, Dr Swerts offers an unprecedented inside look into the birth, growth, and demise of organizations led by undocumented migrants. In both cities, migrants struggled to create a space from where they could speak their own truth. Lived experiences of illegality tend to reinforce feelings of powerlessness. Dr Swerts, however, reveals that under certain conditions, vulnerabilities can be turned into collective strengths. By openly sharing their stories, vehemently contesting mobility restrictions, and publicly expressing their raw emotions, undocumented activists can expose the hidden reality of ‘Citizen X’.
At a time when legal avenues for migration are becoming narrower and undocumented migrants are blatantly criminalized and stigmatized, Dr Swerts’ book will disclose the fundamental inequalities and social injustices that result from unevenly distributing legal status in the world while highlighting the renewed meaning that non-citizens are giving to citizenship from the ground up.
The seminar will take place on Zoom. Click on this link to join. The seminar will also be recorded and live streamed on UNU-MERIT’s YouTube channel.
For full event information and updates, visit the UNU-MERIT website.
About the speaker
Dr Thomas Swerts is an Assistant Professor in Urban Sociology at the Department of Public Administration and Sociology of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago. He has extensive experience in ethnographic and participatory research with undocumented migrants and has regularly been consulted by civil society and government actors over the years. His research on the nexus between migration and urban studies has been published in journals such as the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Antipode, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. At the Erasmus University Rotterdam, he is a member of the Team Policy, Politics and Society led by Prof. Dr Peter Scholten and serves as the coordinator of the Sociology Master Track in Urban Issues and Policy (Grootstedelijke Vraagstukken en Beleid).
