Chairs and coordinators: Henri Onodera (henri.onodera[at]helsinki.fi), Petri Hautaniemi (petri.hautaniemi[at]helsinki.fi) and Helena Jerman (helena.jerman[at]helsinki.fi), University of Helsinki
Resource person: Sian Lazar, University of Cambridge (Session I)
Room: 404 (Thursday); 312 (Friday)
As a form of social identity in post-colonial contexts, citizenship intertwines with other forms of social belonging and membership. These can vary from kin, clan, ethnic, religious and other forms of group and/or localized affinities to globally circulating sub-cultures, tastes and dislikes, and everyday sensibilities. This working group welcomes papers that examine the intersection of citizenship and other forms of social membership.
This working group is divided into two sessions. The Session I (Thu 9.2.) focuses on empirical studies in development contexts with a special reference to Latin America, and Session II (Fri 10.2.) examines the intersection of citizenship and transnational belonging with a special focus on migrant communities in Finland.
PRESENTATIONS
THURSDAY 14.00-17.00
SESSION I: CITIZENSHIP AND SOCIAL BELONGING
Chair: Henri Onodera, University of Helsinki
Commentator: Sian Lazar, University of Cambridge
(1) Social movements as disciplined masses in Bolivia’s state formation process
Eija Ranta-Owusu, PhD Candidate, University of Helsinki (eija.ranta-owusu[at]helsinki.fi)
Within social movement theory-making, it is a common argument that new social movements (NSM) are not organized to seize state power. In Bolivia, however, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) evolved rapidly from a popular movement of peasants and indigenous peoples to a governing political instrument. The process of state transformation through indigenous ideas under the notion of good life (vivir bien) that followed emphasizes social movements as key unifying actors in the construction of a plurinational state, a conglomeration of autonomous indigenous nations.
MAS’ transformational agenda faces severe challenges as the new ideological formations collide with the existing bureaucratic-institutional structures of the state. In practice, the centralizing tendencies of the state work to harness social movements in order to discipline the masses. Porous relationships between the Bolivian nation-state and social movements challenge the process of making indigenous peoples into subjects of change. Additionally, diverse historical experiences and political interests between Bolivia’s many indigenous organizations and peasant unions, as well as highlands and lowlands indigenous peoples, seem to be bypassed in the name of finding a common ideological ground for state transformation. Thus, the democratizing potential of social movements as (de-centralized) governing pluralities is subordinated to the state consolidation.
(2) Who marches for Pachamama? Environmental politics as an arena for negotiations of citizenship and identity in Bolivia
Anna Kaijser, University of Lund (anna.kaijser[at]lucid.lu.se)
Since 2006, under the government of Evo Morales and MAS (Movimiento Al Socialismo), Bolivia has gone through a period of transformation, in which citizenship, national identity and the state itself are re-formulated in governmental discourse. This involves a process of negotiation with multiple actors both within and outside the diverse assembly which MAS consists of. In Bolivia’s new Constitution and policy documents, emphasis is placed on outlining a local model for development to break free from postcolonial patterns and defining a Bolivian identity based on plurinationality.
These negotiations and transformations take place on various arenas. In my paper, I look at the process of identity construction in relation to Bolivian environmental politics. The governments’ positions on environmental issues should be placed in the context of their broader political project of transformation. In MAS’ political project, discourses on environment have been co-articulated with discourses on Bolivian identity. For instance, emphasis has been placed on the concept of vivir bien (to live well, in harmony with nature and other people) and respect for Mother Earth, which are both presented as part of an indigenous (or Andean) worldview. I argue that reinforcement of indigenousness as a main basis for identity is a strong element of the government’s environmental discourse, as well as alternative discourses.
In my paper, I will use recent examples to illustrate the close discursive linkages between environment and the construction of national identity and citizenship in Bolivian political debates. I will primarily look at governmental discourses, but also alternative discourses among popular movements. I hope that I can contribute to the understanding of how negotiations on identity and citizenship take place on multiple arenas simultaneously, and of the importance of perceptions of the environment for constructions of national identity.
(3) The struggle against the blanket ban on therapeutic abortion in Nicaragua 2006-2010: Transnational civil society networks and the ‘spiral model’ of socialization of human rights
Maaria Seppänen, University of Helsinki (maaria.seppanen[at]numericable.lu)
The purpose of this study was to test the spiral model of socialisation of human rights norms into domestic legislation and practice. The empirical test case is Nicaragua where the parliament voted to repeal the legal therapeutic abortion exemption from the criminal code in October 2006, only about a week before the 2006 general elections and for electoral motives. According to the spiral model of socialisation of human rights norms, transnational contacts are instrumental for bringing about change. The model is based on the idea that domestic opposition forces bypass the national state and through their transnational contacts are able to exercise pressure on the domestic government both ‘from below’ and ‘from above’. According to civil society organisation, national and international, the total abortion ban violates women’s right to life and health, and to health care and privacy. The Nicaraguan women’s and feminist movements have wide contacts with international non-governmental organisations and universities since the Sandinista times in the 1980’s, and have been able to activate networks very efficiently regionally and globally. The paper elaborates on the question about why the transnational civil society networks have not been able to repeal the new legislation; in other words, why the spiral model is blocked.
The paper is based on an unpublished Master’s thesis for the degree European Master’s in Human Rights and Democratisation (Venice 2010).
(4) Confucian ties that bind in East Asian civil societies
Taru Salmenkari, University of Helsinki (taru.salmenkari[at]helsinki.fi)
Theoretically, Confucian affinity-based hierarchic relations appear to be in many ways anomalous to civil society values based on the ideas of equality, individualism and openness. Nevertheless, East Asian NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) utilize Confucian ties because they are effective for solving many bottlenecks and scarcities in NGO activities. They are vital for making the best of limited resources, for opening access to decision making bodies, for linking the marginalized to the mainstream society and for mobilizing participation even in challenging conditions. Naturally, Confucian ties have drawbacks too. East Asian NGOs do not rely on them exclusively but simultaneously endorse ideas of citizenship originating in the West. Their experience show that alternative civilities, not just Western values, can contribute to democratic participation and political influence in civil society. Interviews and ethnographic fieldwork for this research were done in South Korea, China and Taiwan.
(5) Rethinking citizenship and Muslim belonging: The case of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
Jana Jevtic, Central European University (jevtic_jana[at]ceu-budapest.edu)
In spite of all efforts of a critical approach, the notion of ethnicity lies at the very center of migration perspectives. This paper critiques the reliance on the ethnic group as a unit of analysis and argues for the importance of examining non-ethnic modes of connection and migrant incorporation. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is my case in point. I see the campaign as a mobilizing and framing repertoire that produces global solidarities, whilst simultaneously attending to locally specific affinities. I draw on my ethnographic study of BDS as a path of migrant local and global incorporation in order to illustrate not only the non-ethnic approach to migrant studies, but also the intersection between citizenship and religious belonging. The research was conducted in Tower Hamlets borough, East London, United Kingdom.
FRIDAY 12.00-14.30
SESSION II: CITIZENSHIP AND TRANSNATIONAL BELONGING
Chair: Petri Hautaniemi, University of Helsinki
Coordinator: Helena Jerman, University of Helsinki
(1) Fostering citizenship through narrative identity work: The case of Muslim migrants in Finland
Teemu Pauha, University of Helsinki (teemu.pauha[at]helsinki.fi)
In recent decades, the notion of citizenship has been brought into the focus of political and academic discussions due to the progressing globalization and migration to Europe. These developments have also resulted in heated discussions about the role of transnational ties or (especially Muslim) religiosity in relation to the citizenship of a modern nation-state. Despite several philosophical and theoretical contributions related to this, little is known about how the Muslim migrants themselves experience their citizenship.
In my dissertation study at the Department of World Cultures of the University of Helsinki, I investigate how Muslim migrants in Finland engage in identity work to foster their citizenship. My approach is social psychological and intersectional. The starting point of the intersectionality paradigm is that citizenship needs to be studied together with a whole range of other identities. Identities based on gender, sexuality, age, class, nationality, ethnicity, religion, (dis)ability etc. both form and are formed by citizenship.
I apply narrative methods to the psychological study of two different data sets. By analyzing the narratives produced by Muslim migrants, I strive to understand how they employ identity scripts pertaining to their various social identities to make sense of their experiences and to foster their citizenship.
(2) Culture shock among students from the global South in Finland
Ogbegie Caleb, University of Eastern Finland (ogbegiecaleb[at]yahoo.com)
In the fields of the social sciences, the concept of citizenship lies at the intersection or crossroad, when dealing with group processes and intergroup relations. In the present-day democratic governments, it encompasses the direct or indirect participation in the exercise of sovereignty. The notion of citizenship has come to incorporate rights of a diverse nature. Social belonging entails amongst other needs, the image or perception of oneself as socially connected, which is a basic motivation. Also, a sense of social connectedness predicts favourable outcomes. These concepts are mutually connected and it differs from nation to nation. Further, social belonging is crucial to intellectual achievement, and when a group or groups are excluded or isolated, it may result in a poor sense of belonging, and negative socio-cultural stigma.
In this paper, one will examine the correlation of citizenship and the likes, dislikes, behavioural attitudes of persons in relating with others within and outside the group. Also, the idea of In-group in connection with the Out-group will be enumerated to clarify the theme above.
(3) Transnational belonging in transformation? The case of North African migrants in Finland
Anne Haataja, University of Tampere (anne.m.haataja[at]uta.fi)
In this paper, I reflect on the ways “citizenship” can be understood in social anthropological research on transnational migration and everyday immigrant experience. With a reference to my recently started PhD study on North African migrants in Finland, I discuss whether – and if so, how – other social and cultural “markers” such as language, religion and ethnicity are interconnected with different notions of citizenship in transnational social spaces. Also reflecting on the ongoing societal and political upheavals in their countries of origin, I look at how these multiple elements of identity and community construction and their intersections may currently be in transformation among North African migrants living in Finland. Moreover, my approach to transnational social and political processes and migration in the Finnish context aims to be gender sensitive. Thus, I also discuss whether the forms of social and political participation and belonging “here”, “there” or elsewhere are constructed differently among North African migrant women and men.
(4) Belonging and otherness beyond citizenship and Finnish-Russian border
Helena Jerman, University of Helsinki (helena.jerman[at]helsinki.fi)
During my long-standing fieldwork among Russians in Finland our dialogues about belonging and/or otherness in crossing national borders, concerned a number of topics, one being informants’ relations with public authorities, media and various organizations. Further, these discussions led me to examine how, for example, tv-documentaries present Russians in Finland during a time span of more than ten years. Suggesting that individual enactment of belonging originates in the consciousness of the self and its relationship to society I will make an attempt to show some of the subtleties of social and cultural dynamics in this context.