Citizenship and belonging: Generation 2.0 in Greece

Anna Papoutsi talks to Natani Petros about identity and belonging among second generation individuals of African decent in Athens (Greece).

We discuss the experience of growing up under a citizenship regime that is based on jus sanguinis, meaning that nationality is determined by the nationality of the parents and not the place of birth (jus soli). While born and raised in Greece, children of African migrants had until recently no access to citizenship.

Even today many of them still practically have no way of becoming citizens, while their sense of belonging is further curtailed by narrow and racialised understandings of Greekness. In our discussion we draw on the work of the grassroots organisation ‘Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity’, who led the campaign for the right to citizenship for the second generation.  Natani Petros is the Diversity Network Officer at Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity. She is of Ethiopian origin and was born and raised in Athens. Her work now focuses on diversity and inclusion, campaigning for racial injustice in Greece.