CU Colloquium Features Research on Citizenship: Mapping Citizenship by Carolina Nunez and Rejecting Citizenship by Rose Cuison-Villazor

The University of Colorado Citizenship and Equality series features two research papers on citizenship in back-to-back presentations by BYU Law Professor Carolina Nunez and Rutgers Law Professor and Vice Dean Rose Cuison-Villazor.

On March 4, Professor Nunez presented her classic work Mapping Citizenship. The Article offers a typology of the ways in which formal citizenship can relate to substantive citizenship, using the metaphor of a highway to illustrate the different paths to citizenship available. To illustrate the value of the proposed framework, this Article examines territorial birthright citizenship and the creation of a “path to citizenship “for DREAMers. Professor Nunez’s comments on how the framework would apply amid recent challenges to both policies and an array of new subjects, including the implementation of a public charge rule for green cards, visa restrictions for pregnant women seeking to enter the US, and the inclusion of children in enforcement efforts. CU Professor Scott Skinner-Thompson provided commentary.

On March 11, Professor Villazor will present an in-progress essay titled Rejecting Citizenship. The Essay examines the different reasons why some non-citizens have refused citizenship and explores their implication for our understanding of citizenship. As a descriptive matter, the non-citizens’ rejection of citizenship offers a counter-narrative to the traditional claim that citizenship is both ideal and should be attained. Their repudiation of citizenship also prompts reassessing the normative push for citizenship. Lastly, as a theoretical matter,
 these non-citizens’ refusal to become U.S. citizens suggests the need to explore more flexible forms of membership and rethink the rights, privileges and obligations attendant to citizenship. Professor Justin Desautels-Stein will provide commentary.

The full list of speakers, including one final speaker March 18 (Rogers Smith) appears below.

MHC