Synopsis:
This March 7 2019 news story from Al-Jazeera covers the patriarchal citizenship laws in Lebanon. Under the law dating back to 1925, only the children of Lebanese men are Lebanese citizens. This means that children born in Lebanon to Lebanese mothers but with foreign fathers are not citizens, often leaving them stateless and creating huge obstacles in employment which push them out of Lebanon and away from their families in search of jobs. Not only are children of foreign men unable to work in certain fields, they are denied access to public healthcare and have to obtain a residency permit which is renewed every 3 years. According to the article, recent grassroots organizing and increased female representation in the Lebanese government may be pushing the country towards changing the law.
Rationale:
This story is relevant to transnational feminism as the Lebanese citizenship issue sits at the intersection of women’s rights, migration, racism, and nationalism. Politicians against amending the law argue that it would “upset [Lebanon’s] demographic and sectarian balance.” Last year Lebanon’s minister of foreign affairs proposed a bill that would allow Lebanese women to pass on citizenship to their children of foreign fathers, but only if the father was no from a “neighbouring country,” which has been interpreted to mean Syrians and Palestinians in particular are to be excluded from Lebanon. So not only does the citizenship law affect people in a gendered way, it also has specific xenophobic implications.
This story also relates to our conceptions of motherhood. The 3 mothers quoted in the article all spoke of “losing” their sons and daughters as their children leave Lebanon to find work and acceptance. The citizenship law fractures families. Politically, these mothers and their children are disconnected by nationality from birth. Physically, once these children are grown they are separated from their mothers by the forced migration they go through to find work. This article states that the United Nations lists 25 countries that “do not grant women equality with men in conferring nationality to their children.” Looking at family and motherhood through a transnational feminist lens means considering how bordering practices like this impact women across many countries.
URL/Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/lebanon-misogynistic-citizenship-law-190302104611573.html
Keywords: Lebanon, border crossing, citizenship, migration, motherhood
Author: Seymour Butts
Thank you for this article! This is a great example of how patriarchy exists within our institutions so clearly, as well as influencing discourse around who belongs and is guaranteed citizenship. As well, I think it’s great how you were able to break down how this effects not just Lebanon but families across the world that have these kinds of laws in place. I think that it’s important to note that this work is being done at the local level, with grassroots organizing leading the way. This is important to keep in place as the people on the ground and who are from these communities will have the relationships and networks available to maintain their course forward. Adding to this,…