The Maxwell Citizenship Initiative, Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs present: 

The Brown Bag Sessions

Elizabeth Cohen, Assistant Professor, Political Science

Temporal Boundaries, Political Power, and Free Movement

Quarantines, curfews, dates of establishment, statutes of limitations, and myriad other kinds of temporal boundaries are all imposed by states to limit and direct the power that people and groups have to move, reside, act and claim or exercise rights. They have in common a boundary keeping function that marks out the beginning and end of political regimes and, within those regimes, structure claims of fundamental rights including free movement and political participation.

This presentation will discuss how calendrical time is integral to the establishment and maintenance of four pivotal types of political boundaries including: sovereign borders around nation-states; the boundaries between the populations of different nation-states; boundaries within the interior of nation-states that restrict free movement of parts of the population; and finally, boundaries that divide rights bearing persons from non-rights bearing persons.

Lamis Abdelaaty, Assistant Professor, Political Science

The Strategic Use of Labels for Syrians in Turkey

Even as Turkey took in more than three million Syrians at great expense, Turkish officials were referring to these individuals as temporary guests rather than refugees. Despite significant legal developments in the country, and particularly the recent formalization of a temporary protection regime, this choice of labels reveals the influence of underlying political trends on Turkish policy-making regarding refugees. This paper compares Turkey’s reactions to the Syrian inflow with its responses to previous refugee crises, including Iraqis in 1988, Bosnians in 1992, and Kosovars in 1998. In so doing, it demonstrates that the refusal to designate certain populations as asylum-seekers or refugees enables Turkey to opt in or out of what might otherwise appear to be generally-applicable, national-level policies. Through these strategic semantics, policymakers retain a freedom to maneuver in response to international and domestic political pressures.

Lunch will be provided.

For information on accessibility, or to request accommodation, please contact Marc Albert 315-443-9248.

Sponsored by the The Maxwell Citizenship Initiative and the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs