Legal Identity, Race and Belonging in the Dominican Republic by Eve Hayes De Kalaf

Legal Identity, Race and Belonging in the Dominican Republic by Eve Hayes De Kalaf

This book offers a critical perspective into social policy architectures primarily in relation to questions of race, national identity and belonging in the Americas. It is the first to identify a connection between the role of international actors in promoting the universal provision of legal identity in the Dominican Republic with arbitrary measures to restrict access to citizenship paperwork from populations of (largely, but not exclusively) Haitian descent. The book highlights the current gap in global policy that overlooks the possible alienating effects of social inclusion measures promulgated by international organisations, particularly in countries that discriminate against migrant-descended populations. It also supports concerns regarding the dangers of identity management, noting that as administrative systems improve, new insecurities and uncertainties can develop. Crucially, the book provides a cautionary tale over the rapid expansion of identification practices, offering a timely critique of global policy measures which aim to provide all people everywhere with a legal identity in the run-up to the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"Tracking the rise of identity systems technologies and their inevitable abuses, Dr Hayes de Kalaf unsettles the standard binary of migrant/citizen and by focusing on the case of the Dominican Republic, uncovers a growing threat to our planetary commonwealthBrilliant and urgent, this is a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in questions of national belonging - which is more or less everyone.” — Junot Díaz is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a MacArthur Fellow and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US.

“In this important book, Eve Hayes de Kalaf explores the murky discrepancies between citizenship and legal identity in a powerful interrogation of contemporary forms of statecraft that strip minoritized citizens of their legal status and render them stateless in the only country they have ever known. Focused on the predicament of native-born citizens of the Dominican Republic who have been branded as ‘Haitians’ and ‘illegal immigrants,’ this book is a study with profound worldwide ramifications and crucial lessons for the study of citizenship, statelessness, and identity.” — Nicholas De Genova, University of Houston, US

“An innovative look at the politics of legal citizenship in the Dominican Republic. Hayes de Kalaf's deft analysis shows how ‘soft’ strategies of legal exclusion by the Dominican state have come to replace the ‘hard,’ problematic repression of the past.” — Ernesto Sagás, Colorado State University, US

“Dr. Hayes de Kalaf brilliantly exposes the exclusionary, discriminatory and racist practices taking place in the Dominican Republic, highlighting the struggles citizens born in the country are now facing as they battle with the state to acquire essential paperwork and obtain access to welfare, education and health services.” — Gibrán Cruz-Martínez, Institute of Public Goods and Policies, CSIC, Spain

Legal Identity, Race and Belonging in the Dominican Republic makes a compelling argument for considering the experiences of Haitian-descended populations within the broader context of global efforts to address under registration.[…] This book offers an analytic perspective that underscores the urgent need for international policy solutions that protect all people. - New West Indian Guide

Eve Hayes de Kalaf is a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, the UK's national centre for history, based at the School of Advanced Study, University of London.