Coming soon: Melbourne Seminar Series on Naturalisation

Our world is increasingly globalised and yet at the same time marked by a retreat to national boundaries. The covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this retreat, giving cover to already harsh border control regimes across the global north.

This dynamic, where some people move freely and others are rendered stateless, places pressure on traditional understandings of citizenship, both in terms of how it is legislated and how it is experienced.

This seminar series brings together legal philosophers, practitioners, historians and literary critics to discuss naturalisation: a concept at the heart of all systems of immigration law and one that in many ways brings the legal, philosophical and lived aspects of citizenship into direct contact.

Confirmed dates and speakers:

6 May: Dr Jordana Silverstein (The University of Melbourne), 'Files, Families, and the Nation', 4.30pm AEST

13 May:  Dr Jatinder Mann (Hong Kong Baptist University), ‘The end of the British World and the redefinition of citizenship in Australia, Canada, and Aotearoa New Zealand, 1950s-1970s', 4.30pm AEST

21 May:  Professor Stephanie DeGooyer (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), 'Naturalization in History: From Calvin's Case to Locke', 10.00am AEST

27 May:  Professor Kim Rubenstein (University of Canberra), 'The PNG and Australian story: Insights around naturalisation, race and membership from Troy Lee  v Minister for Home Affairs', 4.30pm AEST

3 June: Dr Kate Bagnall (University of Tasmania), 'Naturalised Chinese in Colonial Australasia', 4.30pm AEST

Format: All five presentations will be streamed live through Zoom meeting software. Zoom links and information about how to download and access Zoom will be provided shortly - stay tuned for updates!

Images: 1) 'Passport Control', photograph by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash, 2) Photograph of an immigration form by Metin Ozer on Unsplash.