ISAS Special Reports

In a world where an unprecedented number of people are on the move, as a result of hardship and in search of opportunity, the subject of Diaspora and Citizenship is of particular importance. As part of the third South Asian Diaspora Convention which was organised by ISAS, July 18-19, 2016, at the Raffles City Convention Centre, three panels dwelt on this general theme. They raised issues focused on the definition of the key terms in a discourse that surrounds academic and public discussion about the conditions of life amongst the diaspora, and raised complex questions about the role of the nation state, citizenship and public policy. With the spread of global media and expansive social networks, citizenship is not just about legal rights and entitlement. Thanks to these developments, citizenship has become as much about the moral construction of identity and obligation. Hence in our global and connected times, the question of what makes a citizen has become relevant again.