Border Crossing as a Form of Resistance

In this paper, I will argue that border crossing can be a form of resistance by conscientious citizens in a democratic society. I will frame the right to leave one’s country on the philosophical musings of John Locke regarding the state of nature and the natural rights of the citizens. To balance the classical liberalist disposition of his thoughts, I will appropriate Stanley Aronowitz’s and Henry Giroux’s distinction between oppositional behavior and resistance. Hopefully, what emerges is a border crosser who is not only concerned with their personal rights, security, and pursuit of happiness but also a critical citizen who resists undemocratic social arrangements, remains rooted in their original community, and retains their hope for meaningful societal changes

Happiness · Hannah Arendt's Political Philosophy · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism · Political Philosophy and Ethics