Migrants or Citizens? From Exclusion to Activism

Abstract

Citizenship is most of the times understood as a juridical concept, which defines who is included and who is excluded from a certain political community related to a nation state. However, there are people who are excluded who claim their belonging through the practice of de-facto citizenship. This research, through the example of Baobab Experience in Rome, argues that with the interaction between citizens and non-citizens challanging the status quo of citizenship, new forms of citizenship develop through collective acts of citizenship. These are performative acts enacted by citizens and non-citizens together, setting in motion the static conceptualization of citizenship, through the empowerment of the excluded individuals.