Citizens and Borders: A Conversation

Moroccan-French artist Bouchra Khalili; Syrian journalist, novelist, and activist Samar Yazbek; and Canadian philosopher Joseph Carens discuss the personal, political, and cultural ramifications of the current global refugee crisis. Khalili’s video installation The Mapping Journey Project (2008–11), currently on view at MoMA, documents the journeys of eight individuals who were forced by political and economic circumstances to leave their homes and travel illegally throughout the Mediterranean basin. Yazbek fled her homeland after taking part in the popular uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Her most recent book, The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria (2015), tells the story of her dislocation and subsequent returns to her homeland as an intimate observer. In his work as a political philosopher and commentator, Carens focuses on the ethical dilemmas surrounding immigration policies in North America and Europe. The conversation will be moderated by Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, who has written extensively on the historical conditions that shape modern conflicts in the region. This quartet of thinkers from different fields, each deeply immersed in the issues that emerge from what might be the 21st century’s defining challenge, will explore how forced migration transforms traditional ideas of citizenship, nations, and boundaries.

Tickets are free, but advance registration is required. Space is limited. A limited number of standby tickets may be available on site.