
Citizen X
Becoming Undocumented Activists on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Thomas Swerts(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 7. May 2026
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-0-19-784399-4 (ISBN)
Description
How do undocumented migrants become activists? How can we make sense of the fact that undocumented activists are powerful, resourceful, and hyper-visible yet vulnerable, precarious, and relatively invisible all at once? How do the personal and collective activist trajectories of undocumented migrants diverge and converge on both sides of the Atlantic? And why do the actions they organize from the margins hit politics-as-usual in its very core? These are the complex and provocative questions that Thomas Swerts poses in Citizen X.
Based on years of immersion as an ally in Chicago and Brussels, this transatlantic ethnography offers an unprecedented inside look into the birth, growth, and demise of undocumented-led organizations. In cities on opposite sides of the Atlantic, migrants struggled to create a space from where they could speak their own truth as lived experiences of illegality reinforced their feelings of powerlessness. But as Swerts reveals, under certain conditions, vulnerabilities can be developed into collective strengths. By openly sharing their stories, contesting restrictions on mobility, and publicly expressing their emotions, undocumented activists expose the hidden reality of 'Citizen X'.
At a time when legal avenues for migration are becoming narrower and undocumented migrants are increasingly criminalized and stigmatized, Citizen X discloses the fundamental inequalities and social injustices that result from unevenly distributing legal status in the world while highlighting the renewed meaning that non-citizens are giving to citizenship from the ground up.
Based on years of immersion as an ally in Chicago and Brussels, this transatlantic ethnography offers an unprecedented inside look into the birth, growth, and demise of undocumented-led organizations. In cities on opposite sides of the Atlantic, migrants struggled to create a space from where they could speak their own truth as lived experiences of illegality reinforced their feelings of powerlessness. But as Swerts reveals, under certain conditions, vulnerabilities can be developed into collective strengths. By openly sharing their stories, contesting restrictions on mobility, and publicly expressing their emotions, undocumented activists expose the hidden reality of 'Citizen X'.
At a time when legal avenues for migration are becoming narrower and undocumented migrants are increasingly criminalized and stigmatized, Citizen X discloses the fundamental inequalities and social injustices that result from unevenly distributing legal status in the world while highlighting the renewed meaning that non-citizens are giving to citizenship from the ground up.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
549 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-784399-4 (9780197843994)
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Additional editions

Book
approx. 08/2026
Oxford University Press
€31.00
Not yet published
Person
Thomas Swerts is an Associate Professor in Urban Sociology at the Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research focuses on the nexus between urban and migration studies with a focus on undocumented migration.
Author
Associate Professor in Urban SociologyAssociate Professor in Urban Sociology, Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Content
- Introduction
- Part I. Undocumented Movements
- 1: Chasing the dream: The politicization of migrant illegality in the United States
- 2: Undocumented, unafraid, unapologetic: The rise of undocumented youth activism in Chicago
- 3: Behind the white mask: The politicization of migrant illegality in Belgium
- 4: Papers for all!: The rise of sans-papiers' activism in Brussels
- Part II. Activist Trajectories
- 5: Growing up undocumented: Youth activists' life stories
- 6: Becoming undocumented: Sans-papiers activists' life stories
- 7: I define myself!: Making activists at the Immigrant Youth Justice League
- 8: So-so-so! Solidarit é!: Making activists at the Collectif Sans-papiers Belgique
- Conclusion: The other face of citizenship
- Epilogue: The enduring struggle for immigrant rights
- Appendix: Methodological and ethical considerations