Hyperconnected diasporas amidst pandemic citizenship: The end of the ‘global citizen’?

Calzada, Igor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4269-830X 2021. Hyperconnected diasporas amidst pandemic citizenship: The end of the ‘global citizen’? Presented at: 31st AEMI Conference, San Sebastián, Spain, 30 September - 1 October 2021.

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Abstract

Over the last decades, globalisation has led to a new class of ‘global citizens’. However, this cosmopolitan globalisation rhetoric of a borderless would has been drastically slowed down by COVID-19, by particularly affecting the understanding of diasporas and how much they rely on the potential of hyperconnected societies driven by digital technologies and devices. By contrast, COVID-19 has also hit citizens dramatically, not only creating a general risk-driven environment encompassing a wide array of migration uncertainties and economic vulnerabilities but also exposing them to pervasive digital risks, such as biosurveillance, misinformation, and e-democracy algorithmic threats. As soon as soon countries have started lifting pandemic restrictions the debate about reopening borders by allowing international travelling has introduced a set of techno-political issues related to the ethical dimensions of vaccine passports and biometric components insofar as they might be fostering in a way a sort of unethical vaccine nationalism. Against the backdrop of this uncertain scenario, this paper sheds light on the way COVID-19 may end up with the notion of ‘global citizens’ by initiating a new and endless era characterised by ‘pandemic citizenship’, meaning (i) a permanent state of uncertainty in terms of migration for diasporic citizens, (ii) who thereby are highly dependent on their specific overseas location and country, and (iii) are extremely reliant on hyperconnectivity. This paper therefore pays attention to the notion of ‘pandemic citizenship’ as a transitional phase of the former ‘global citizenship’ living overseas and being part of a diaspore while being exposed (consciously or unwittingly) to such techno-political consequences of the pandemic in their daily life regarding privacy, surveillance, ethics, and ownership of data. The paper will explicitly revolve around the ongoing action research project on the Basque case in close collaboration with the Basque Government.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Submission
Status:	Submitted
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races J Political Science > JA Political science (General) J Political Science > JC Political theory J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) J Political Science > JS Local government Municipal government J Political Science > JZ International relations T Technology > T Technology (General)
Related URLs:	Organisation
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 June 2021
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2022 10:39
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/140222

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