Can Humans Be Made Illegal? A Teach-in about the Recent Citizenship Laws in India

On January 10, 2020, the Indian state enacted an exclusionary law: the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Massive protests that erupted nationwide in response to the act were met with brazen police brutality. After centuries of struggling against colonialism to achieve a free, inclusive, secular democracy, this act, spearheaded by the ruling BJP government, effectively renders millions stateless, largely Muslims in borderlands. In light of similar events and movements worldwide, we propose to discuss how such a law finds itself positioned within globally relevant issues today, such as Islamophobia, xenophobia, the rise of anti-democratic regimes, and decolonial resistance. Organized by a few UIC graduate students, we aim to educate ourselves and build solidarities so we can resist better. We invite the diverse campus community to think about the future of democracy and human rights at a time when injustice becomes law and identity becomes a matter of privilege.

Join us this Thursday, when a panel of speakers helps us understand the history, context, and expected consequences of the CAA, along with larger issues of discrimination, migration, oppression, and state-sanctioned violence. We envision this as an interactive, engaging exercise, and hope to facilitate discussions that can provide clarity and provoke further questioning.

Kindly RSVP using this form.

Refreshments will be provided.
For more information, accessibility needs, etc., contact <uicsas4democracy@gmail.com>