Bronwen Manby will discuss the legal regulation of citizenship in post-colonial states, considering patterns and trends across several continents, with a particular focus on Africa. What determined the rules on inclusion and exclusion on state succession and the evolution of the laws thereafter? What are the commonalities or differences between and among different colonial legal heritages, and how far are laws today still shaped by the initial models? What has been the impact of advocacy by different actors in arguing for amendments to the law – whether politicians, secessionist rebellions, civil society, or international agencies? Can we in fact recognise a ‘post-colonial’ form of citizenship regulation with common factors across geographies?
Bio: Bronwen Manby has written extensively on the right to nationality, comparative citizenship law, and statelessness, especially in Africa. Her book Citizenship in Africa: The Law of Belonging traces the history of citizenship law applied in the continent from the colonial era till today. Bronwen is a visiting senior fellow at the London School of Economics, Africa coordinator for the GLOBALCIT programme at the European University Institute, and a consultant working for UNHCR and others on these issues. She originally trained as a lawyer in England and Wales, and then worked a decade each at Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Foundations, and for several years for Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa.
This is an online event, click here for the Zoom link (passcode: 955182)