Citizenship and belonging in a globalized and digitalized world
Project Lead(s)
Team Members
Antoine Bilodeau, Antje Ellermann, Ebrahim Bagheri, Yasmeen Abu-Laban, Sami Abdurahman, John Carlaw, Maire O'Hagan (external link) , Cyrus Sundar Singh, Mireille Paquet, Daniel Rubenson, Ethel Tungohan, Phil Triadafilopoulos, Zhixi Zhuang, Mark Williamson (external link) , Alka Kumar, Mariam (Mo) El Toukhy, Jack Krywulak
Today migration is not always nor necessarily spatial or physical, it can also be virtual/digital. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how people can be trapped by closed borders but may also work remotely or connect and mobilize in very different locations as if they were physically present.
Objective
This project aims to explore the transformations that have been happening in the last 10 years and their impact on physical and virtual migration and the conundrums or contradictions that these create. It will then explore how theories of nationalism and citizenship including for instance the theories of everyday nationhood plural vs neo tribal nationalism, transnational nationalism or multicultural nationalism can inform our thinking of identity, in the Canadian as well as in the global context and from comparative perspectives.
Research question(s)
- How do theoretical perspectives on national identities and citizenship inform the analysis of contemporary developments?
- What identities emerge among diasporas and 'digital migrants', and how do they differ from past identities?
- How do advanced digital technologies, especially social media, influence democratic processes and civic participation?
- What new avenues, such as social media and digital storytelling, empower immigrant agency and advocacy for societal change?
Methodology
Research on this topic will be mainly desk research reviewing relevant literature on the following topics, analyzing such literature and seeking analytical and theoretical advancements:
- Citizenship, nationalism and identity and how they are evolving
- Integration and how it is being shaped
- Contestations of citizenship and belonging
- Social media, citizenship, and democracy
- The role of digital arts, digital storytelling, and other visual methods/technologies in immigrant agency and community advocacy
Work developed under this project will be presented and discussed at a double panel at the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association conference taking place at Edmonton, hosted by the University of Alberta, on 14-17 November 2024.
Related projects
- Where We Stand (Cyrus Sundar Singh, Nicole Lee, and Anna Triandafyllidou)
- CONTESTATIONS of migration and belonging in Canada amidst COVID-19 (John Carlaw, Kushan Azadah)
- Suburban place-making: Ethnic retailing, social infrastructure and migrant well-being (Zhixi Zhuang)
Status
This project is ongoing. More collaborations and events are currently in the planning stage.
Expected completion date: March 2026
Outcomes
Past events and conferences:
- One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand Winnipeg, November 17, 2024
- Papers were presented in two consecutive panels at the 27th Canadian Ethnic Studies Association Biennial Conference (external link) , in Edmonton, Alberta on November 14-16, 2024.
- One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand Edmonton, November 14, 2024
- One Land, Two Hearts: WhereWeStand at Centre for Sound Communities, November 05, 2024
- One Land, Two Hearts: Where We Stand at RAiN (external link) , October 19 - November 30, 2024.
- One Land, Two Hearts: Celebrating the world premieres of WhereWeStand Brantford, February 25, 2024
- One Land, Two Hearts: Celebrating the world premieres of WhereWeStand Halifax, February 23, 2024
Published or in press publications:
Triandafyllidou, A. (2025). Religion and Nationalism in the 21st century. In Jeff Haynes (ed.) Routledge Handbook of Religion and Nationalism. London: Routledge. Forthcoming.
Triandafyllidou, A. (2025). Migration and Mobility Frameworks in a Digital World. In A. Beduschi (ed.) Handbook on Migration and Artificial Intelligence. London: E. Elgar publishers. Forthcoming.
Triandafyllidou, A. (2024) Migration and Globalisation: Dynamics and Contradictions, in A. Triandafyllidou (ed). Handbook of Migration and Globalisation. E. Elgar Publishing. pp. 1-24.
Publications in progress:
Triandafyllidou, A. (2025). Imagining the Nation in the 21st century? Nations and Nationalism. Forthcoming.
Mahajan, G. and Triandafyllidou, A. (2025). Identity, Nationalism and Integration in Diverse Societies. Nations and Nationalism, Special Issue. Accepted, in progress.
Triandafyllidou, A. (2026) Citizenship and Belonging in a Globalised and Digitalised World, Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, Special Issue. Aaccepted, in progress.
Key words
Canadian identity; citizenship; digitalization; globalization; nationalism
