Meena's notes and response to "Reimagining Citizenship Round 2"

Video from August 21, 2015 

• Someone is suggesting point system (similar to Canada). Which refugees are “useful”? Argh.
• There is no immigration system in place in Germany. Need to create a mechanism. What are Germany's immigration policies?
• Differentiating between asylum seekers versus migrants looking for a better economic life but not in life danger. Argh.
• Sweden and Germany are bearing the bulk.
• Hungary, Britain, France, Spanish, are building fences, barriers, walls.
• Betrayal of European values to not accept refugees? What are these so called European values?
• Christian refugees only for some countries. Anti-muslim sentiment :-(
• Ethnic similarities/connections to European country depending on who they accept. If relatives are in the EU, refugees should go that. One guy seems really appalled that someone might want to CHOOSE. 
• 1857 people have lost their lives since June trying to cross over Mediterranean borders.

Video from Sept 18, 2015

• Have introduced policed border controls.
• Merckel's contradiction between saying Germany must accept refugees, and then putting into place border control.

Video from Oct 30, 2015

• Controlling refugee bodies – registration centers are supposedly deterring refugees. Debate as to if they are.
• I’m curious to know how the debate has shifted since the Paris bombs. Increased anti-Muslim and violence towards refugees.
• Dude feeling like a refugee seeking asylum doesn’t have the  right to choose where they want to live. Hmm.
• Rise of right wing political groups in Europe riding on anti-immigrant policies. Argh. Can see similar movement in US too. Canada has only now after 8 years of massive right wing leadership, voted in something slightly more liberal.

Notes from article
Gerard Delanty, University of Liverpool, UK 

Two Conceptions of Cultural Citizenship: A Review of Recent Literature on Culture and Citizenship

• Citizenship as based on formal rights and not cultural belonging.
• Rights in exchange for duties and loyalties.
• Citizenship as generally defined by birth, or in some cases descent, while multicultural policies served to manage immigrants. “Today this distinction has virtually collapsed.”  How would the author now reframe this argument? That the original population is more culturally plural because of four decades of intermixing, but also because of westernization and globalization.
• How culture – mostly defined by diversity – is to be brought into the realm of citizenship.
• “Cultural citizenship”  - the inclusion or exclusion of certain groups or individuals
• I wonder – if minoritarian subjects were included within the dominant notions of cultural belonging (for example including realms of communications such as media) would the practice and policing of citizenship shift? I feel like this author is arguing for that. 

Ideas for creative assignments:

I don't have any ideas for creative assignments. Sorry :-(  I'm open to what you and Cynthia propose.