CERTIZENS Africa


	The Social life of IDs in Côte d'Ivoire: A visual political ethnography Richard Banégas, Armando Cutolo Visual Ethnography Vol. 12(2), 2023 In brief: This photo-essay is a compilation of photographs on identification practices in Côte d'Ivoire based on an ethnographic archive established as a by-product of long-term research between 2015 and 2020. The authors recognize that initially photography had been seen as having a documentary and archival purpose but they since turned into a more central feature of their investigation. They note the political turn from a country open to high labor migration up until the 1990s, to one dominated by an ethno-nationalist, anti-migration discourse where identification practices became a tool to ‘unmask foreigners'. Policy attempts to depoliticize those practices offer a compelling case to analyze the relationship between identification and citizenship. The authors focus on the conceptual opposition to biometric identification which subordinates any social forms of recognition. Using photography, this short article offers a visual insight into a case where the production of ‘papers' isn't reserved to the state. Legal identity in a looking-glass world: documenting citizens of aspirant states Marika Sosnowskia, Bart Klem Citizenship Studies Vol. 28(1), 2024 In brief: The article argues that refugees encounter difficulties in accessing education in South Africa when they lack identity documents. It is based on desk research and reviews recent studies and literature. The analysis reveals that refugees face challenges in enrolling in educational institutions without identity documents. This situation has significant consequences for their future access to employment and livelihood opportunities and is against the South African Constitution. The corresponding special issue includes articles on different contexts worldwide including one on Western Sahara, which we highlight below. The right to nationality of the Saharawis and their legal identity documents Andrea Marilyn, Pragashini Immanuel Citizenship Studies Vol. 28(1), 2024 In brief: This article analyses how the unresolved statehood of the Western Sahara territory complicates the nationality status of Saharawis and their human right to nationality. It focuses on identity documents within the framework of international human rights law. A major part of the territory of Western Sahara is under Moroccan control and its inhabitants are conceived as Moroccan nationals. However, a small part is controlled by the Polisario Front, a non-state armed national liberation movement. The inhabitants of this area remain stateless and struggle to establish their legal status nationally and internationally. Both the Moroccan state and Polisario Front issue legal identity documents in this territory. The authors conclude that while the Moroccan-issued documents violate the Saharawis' right to nationality, the Polisario Front-issued documents uphold this right and could clarify their nationality status. Digital Identity and Inclusion: Tracing Technological Transition Emrys Schoemaker, Aaron Martin, Keren Weitzberg Georgetown Journal of International Affairs Vol. 24(1) 2023 In brief: This short article provides an overview of current debates and controversies about digital identity ecosystems. The authors argue that digital identity, just like other technologies, is political. Despite the contrary rhetoric emphasizing individual empowerment through the transition from ‘Big ID' systems to self-sovereign identity approaches, they present the argument that most digital ID systems continually reinforce centralisation and existing institutional arrangements. Subsequently, the article focuses on the ideologies that motivate the adoption of legal digital identity technologies and their implications for inclusion and exclusion.