In Jordan, there's a rule that stops women, unlike men, from giving their nationality to children if the other parent is from a different country. Tracing the roots of this rule from the Roman, Ottoman and British empires to postcolonial states like Jordan, shows how borders aren't just crossed—they cross through people, too. In contemporary Jordan, this policy is at the heart of a national security drama, affecting the very essence of love, family, and belonging. Over one-third of Jordan's population navigates a confusing reality, moving between being refugees, stateless, or citizens—a murky state Dr. Pepi calls "UnCitizenship." This has dire consequences for who counts as one’s relative, sometimes denying the connection to one's child or parent. "UnCitizenship" reflects on how borders and social divides shape identities within Jordan and beyond. This story isn't just about Jordan—governments around the globe and across have used reproductive politics to define who belongs and who doesn't. In this talk, Dr. Pepi shows how contemporary crises make borders as volatile as the ring of a wedding bell or the birth of a child.

About Dr. Eda Pepi: Dr. Eda Pepi is an Assistant Professor at Yale University, teaching in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the Department of Anthropology. She is a sociocultural anthropologist with an eye on regions stretching from the Middle East to Southern Europe, and from North to West Africa. Her work brings together feminist theory, politics, and family life. She's on the verge of releasing her first book, Marital States: The Reproductive Politics of UnCitizenship in Jordan, which examines how family ties and reproductive politics intersect with border control. She also leads two other projects: one looking into divorce and polygamy in Western Sahara and another, in the Canary Islands, investigating the colonial origins of welfare states.

The event is part of CIDC Global Perspectives Series.