Thinking Allowed The Passport
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Jan 17, 2024 Explore the cultural history of passports and their significance as both an instrument of personal freedom and government surveillance. Learn about the struggles faced by historical figures like Frederick Douglas and Hannah Arendt in obtaining passports. Discover the inequality of passport privileges and the growing trade in passports, including citizenship by investment schemes. Reflect on the impact of these schemes on identity versus pragmatic reasons and the global scene.
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Passport: Personal and Political Symbol
- Passports tell personal and political stories linking individual identity with nation states and international relations.
- They represent freedom and surveillance, navigating the tension between personal mobility and state control.
Frederick Douglass' Passport Struggle
- Frederick Douglass fled slavery using borrowed travel documents but was denied a U.S. passport due to racial citizenship laws.
- Later, he affirmed his citizenship by personally signing a passport, symbolizing his claim to rights and freedom.
Hannah Arendt: Statelessness and Rights
- Hannah Arendt became stateless after fleeing Nazi Germany, illustrating the plight of refugees losing citizenship and rights.
- She coined the phrase "the right to have rights" highlighting citizenship’s central role in human rights.