Right to Belong
CULTURE
The sense of being an outsider apart, the international lifestyle of these global nomads has a lot of life lessons to offer. For McDonald, it was studying in an international school and forming a social network of friends from myriads of other cultures.“ As a TCK you learn people aren’ t their national stereotypes.”
Yiu sums it up perfectly when she describes Third Culture Kids as‘ future citizens whose cross-cultural views and diverse experiences will help others navigate this globalized society,’ on Denizen, her online magazine for TCKs.“ I wrote it 5 years ago, I still believe in it.”
Being a TCK has its funny moments. Having decided to travel ticketless for one stop on a train in Switzerland, Mc- Donald’ s American accented English saved him from having a pay a hefty fine.“ I spoke in the most rapid American English I could to the conductor, pretending not to understand French, acting like a flustered tourist.”
For TCKs, having broken geographical boundaries, the world is ever shrinking and home is a way of life, or as Mc- Donald puts it a“ nomadic lifestyle”.
// Shreeja Ravindranathan
Right to Belong
Is citizenship a birthright?
elizabeth machuca
The requirements for becoming a citizen vary vastly from country to country. Some, like the USA, believe that it is a birthright. Others, like Italy demand more from their immigrants.
Jus soli, or‘ the right of soil,’ is the inspiration behind the new bill proposed by the new Italian Minister of Integration, Cécile Kyenge. It aims at granting citizenship to the children of immigrants born in Italy.
Kyenge, the first black minister of the Italian Republic, and her proposal are stirring up the political debate in Italy.
The amount of verbal abuse she has already encountered in her first month in charge is evidence of that. Scanning social media websites reveals an alarming trend of racist comments.
The reactions from her fellow ministers have similarly been cold. Despite the statement of President Giorgio Napolitano in a 2011 speech that it was‘ madness’ that immigrants’ children are not automatically Italians, politicians are cautious when dealing with the issue.
Italian immigration law is one of world’ s strictest. Like many others, it is based on the so-called jus sanguinis or the right of soil, but the application parameters are comparatively much more demanding. Immigrants’ children can receive Italian citizenship only if both parents are Italian, but only when they reach the legal age.
If they miss the opportunity to apply for citizenship when they are 18, they will be treated as any other immigrant, they can obtain citizenship two years after they marry an Italian citizen or after ten years of stable residence, with a regular income in the last three years.
Randa Ghazy, an Italian-Egyptian freelance journalist, is part of Italia sono anch’ io(‘ Italy it’ s also me’) campaign to raise awareness of the issue.
“ Somehow a new law seems unavoidable also because the citizenship law we have right now is quite old. It dates back to 1992. It will not be that easy to get this law passed, but the very fact of having a minister who is representing this change, is an important step.”
Citizenship based on birthplace applies to 29 other countries, mainly in the Americas.
“ The benefits of jus soli are that it allows an easier path to citizenship. But this has been debated. Recent issues of globalisation and immigration have put pressure on these principles,” says Professor Christopher J. Lee of the University of Witwatersrand.
Adventurers coming to the States, especially from Latin America, often use pregnancy to tie them to the‘ land of opportunities.’ The children are called‘ anchor’ or‘ jackpot’ babies.
Despite the USA’ s liberalism, opinions remain divided. The majority of pro-immigration restriction groups have started to question jus soli. Opposing factions say citizenship by birth is inherent to the USA and abolishing it causes ethnic inequality.
Citizenship rights remain significant and immigration remains a major concern on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
// Antonio Peciccia
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