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Affective Naturalization : Practices of Citizenship Conferment

Kalm, Sara LU orcid (2019) In Alternatives 44(3–4). p.138-154
Abstract

In an era of increased mobility, naturalization is crucial for shaping international legal and political identities. It is therefore important to move beyond the legal definition of naturalization in order to comprehend its affective and social meaning. This article develops the notion “affective naturalization” by combining the literature of affect and politics with insights from economic anthropology and by focusing on the varied practices of citizenship conferment. Through different modes of naturalization, citizenship can be offered as a gift, it can take the form of a birthright, it may be obtained as a prize that one has achieved, and it can occasionally be bought. The specific practice of conferment changes the identity of the... (More)

In an era of increased mobility, naturalization is crucial for shaping international legal and political identities. It is therefore important to move beyond the legal definition of naturalization in order to comprehend its affective and social meaning. This article develops the notion “affective naturalization” by combining the literature of affect and politics with insights from economic anthropology and by focusing on the varied practices of citizenship conferment. Through different modes of naturalization, citizenship can be offered as a gift, it can take the form of a birthright, it may be obtained as a prize that one has achieved, and it can occasionally be bought. The specific practice of conferment changes the identity of the citizenship/“thing” that is being acquired, the roles of the giver and the receiver as well as the interrelation between them. The different practices of conferment thus reflect as well as constitute social relations in differing ways.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
affect, citizenship, economic anthropology, migration, naturalization
in
Alternatives
volume
44
issue
3–4
pages
17 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85067647723
ISSN
0304-3754
DOI
10.1177/0304375419847385
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4093bc50-546c-4b48-a1df-f502bb291390
date added to LUP
2019-07-08 13:09:21
date last changed
2022-11-15 17:11:47
@article{4093bc50-546c-4b48-a1df-f502bb291390,
  abstract     = {{<p>In an era of increased mobility, naturalization is crucial for shaping international legal and political identities. It is therefore important to move beyond the legal definition of naturalization in order to comprehend its affective and social meaning. This article develops the notion “affective naturalization” by combining the literature of affect and politics with insights from economic anthropology and by focusing on the varied practices of citizenship conferment. Through different modes of naturalization, citizenship can be offered as a gift, it can take the form of a birthright, it may be obtained as a prize that one has achieved, and it can occasionally be bought. The specific practice of conferment changes the identity of the citizenship/“thing” that is being acquired, the roles of the giver and the receiver as well as the interrelation between them. The different practices of conferment thus reflect as well as constitute social relations in differing ways.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kalm, Sara}},
  issn         = {{0304-3754}},
  keywords     = {{affect; citizenship; economic anthropology; migration; naturalization}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3–4}},
  pages        = {{138--154}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Alternatives}},
  title        = {{Affective Naturalization : Practices of Citizenship Conferment}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0304375419847385}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0304375419847385}},
  volume       = {{44}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}