xi, 202 p. / This dissertation examines the legal and national dimensions of citizenship, focusing on the nature of social justice, multiculturalism and state formation in light of an increasing "migrant" population in the United States. For many individuals, Hispanic people and undocumented immigrants are outside of stereotypic understandings of "American" and the legal structure of the United States. Seeking to question this belief and the subsequent political atmosphere it engenders, this work presents the challenges that Hispanic people and undocumented persons pose to the central tenants of liberal political theory and the politics of recognition. Liberal theories of justice that assume the nation-state as their starting point and ignore the international elements of 21st century societies need reconsideration. Although John Rawls's work remains central to this tradition, by constricting his theory of justice to a closed, self-sustaining polity that assumes all persons behind the veil of ignorance to be citizens, the trajectory of liberal political thought after his work evades the question of citizenship and the possibility of social justice for undocumented people. Although conversations about "multicultural citizenship" are abundant in North American political contexts, these discussions focus on the national representation of minority peoples and ignore the legal aspects of citizenship and the reality of undocumented immigration. Philosophers that do think about undocumented persons argue for international theories of justice, human rights or cosmopolitanism. These are positive steps in thinking about social justice for immigrants, but they only matter insofar as they do not impinge upon state sovereignty and render social justice for immigrants a secondary issue. While Latin American political thinkers such as Enrique Dussel ground the origins of political power in the citizenry of states, they nonetheless assume the category of "citizen" to be uncontested. Thus, even in settings where radical political change is underway, the basis of state membership remains to be defined and freed of racial (or even "post-racial") expectations. I undertake this project in terms of Estadounidense or "Unitedstatesian" citizenship, a concept that combats ethnocentric beliefs about the meaning of "American" while also informing of more open understandings of legal citizenship and porous conceptions of the state. / Committee in charge: Naomi Zack, Chairperson; Cheyney Ryan, Member; Scott Pratt, Member; Michael Hames-Garcia, Outside Member

Using resiliency theory as a lens, this qualitative study explored the educational journey and post-graduation experiences of 5 (2 females and 3 males) undocumented Latino college graduates (ULCGs). All participants completed a college degree from a U.S. four-year institution located in a state with an active in-state resident tuition (ISRT) policy. Pseudonyms were used to protect the identity of study participants since a viable path to permanent U.S. residency for undocumented students and/or graduates is currently unavailable. Participants shared their journeys through two 90-minute interviews conducted via Skype, follow-up questions conducted via e-mail, and journal entries collected via e-mail. Consistent with existing literature, findings revealed that participants experienced numerous cultural, academic, legal, and personal barriers, but were relentless in reaching their goals. Contrary to most existing literature, participants in this study enjoyed significant academic capital, aspirational capital, and followed a different and unique decision-making rationale. Findings are presented in five individual portraits and one collective portrait. Individual portraits illustrate participants' struggles, key turning points, and their life decisions. The collective portrait addresses four themes that emerged from the data, including 1) life barriers, 2) reflections of resiliency, 3) decision time, and 4) college education interpretation.

Human migration in the world is an old and on-going phenomenon. Humans move from place to place across local and international boundaries for various reasons. International migration requires documentation such as visas, passports, resident and work permits that are required for one to legally migrate to, and settle in an area. However, there are people who enter countries without documentation, and such people are referred to as undocumented migrants. This research investigates undocumented immigration in Zambia, with reference to Lusaka City. The theoretical framework that underpinned the research comprised four theories of international migration. These were the neoclassical economics theory of migration, new economics of labour migration theory, dual labour market theory of migration, and Kunz’s refugee migration theory. This researcher adopted the intensive research design and used the case study method, where Lusaka City (Zambia) constituted the case study area. The researcher gathered primary data from the Lusaka City Council, the Zambian immigration department headquarters, and from the informal settlements of Chibolya, Mandevu and Matero. Questionnaires were administered to the sampled immigration officers and Lusaka City Council officers, and interviews were conducted with Zambians and undocumented immigrants in the informal settlements. The research findings showed that undocumented immigrant interviewees came from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region. The undocumented immigrant interviewees entered Zambia due to the peace and economic opportunities found in the country, as well as joining their relatives, spouses and friends who were already in Zambia. Once in Zambia, the undocumented immigrant interviewees migrated to Lusaka City mainly for economic reasons. The major economic activity that undocumented immigrant interviewees were engaged in, was trade. Others were employed in the informal sector. Cooperation and complaints (challenges) characterised the co-existence between the interviewed Zambians and undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, undocumented immigrants in the case study areas brought about socio-economic and cultural benefits to the Zambians. Undocumented immigrants also contributed to socio-economic and environmental challenges in the case study areas. The Zambian government worked towards addressing the challenges of undocumented immigration in Lusaka City and above all, reducing the phenomenon. Much literature and research on undocumented immigration focussed on the phenomenon at the national level, and not the local urban spatial scales. The research therefore aimed at investigating undocumented immigration in Zambia with specific reference to the urban locality of Lusaka City / Geography / M. Sc. (Geography)

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