JMCE Lecture: “Ancestral Citizenship in Europe: From National Roots to Migratory Routes” with Dr. Thales Speroni
April 14, 2026 at 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
| Location: | Room 3228 Richcraft Hall |
| Cost: | Free |
The Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence is very pleased to host a lecture, “Ancestral Citizenship in Europe: From National Roots to Migratory Routes”, with Dr. Thales Speroni.
About the lecture: Several EU member states grant citizenship to descendants of emigrant populations abroad. While rooted in nation-building logics, these provisions raise questions about who gets to be a national and EU citizen, and on what terms. This talk analyzes how extraterritorial access to citizenship reshapes visions of Europe across generations in Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria. Focusing on the Italian case, it explores the frictions between normative expectations embedded in citizenship law and the actual migratory projects of recently recognized citizens.
About the lecturer: Dr. Thales Speroni is a postdoctoral fellow in Sociology at the Centre Norbert Elias (Marseille, France) and visiting lecturer at St. Joseph University (China). He is a member of the project on the Intergenerational analysis of ancestral citizenship in Europe, examining the implications of bloodline and co-ethnicity as routes to citizenship.
Please register with the form below by Friday, April 10, 2026:
Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence activities are co-funded by the European Union and by Carleton University.