This multimedia project is based on graduate student Luka Gotsiridze’s capstone thesis topic for the M.A. degree at Central European University (CEU). It deals with the issues surrounding ‘passport privilege’ and the passport-based discrimination against third-country nationals. Luka believes that posing different requirements to individuals based on their nationality amounts to discrimination. However, the current political affairs of the world tend to disregard this issue. For instance, citizens of developing countries enjoy some privileges, namely - less restrictive movement across borders and easier procedures for obtaining work permits. On the other hand, third-country nationals have to go through different, more complicated processes. Such political borders and attitudes towards third-country nationals work against the ongoing process of globalization, and this is counterproductive for establishing an open society where human rights are protected universally. While his capstone thesis explores the topic through discussing the issues related to freedom of movement and race discrimination, it is designed to serve as a multimedia supplement that would highlight this issue to wider audiences through storytelling and artistic expression. The project included posters hung in public spaces such as the Underground Station in Vienna, as well as a podcast with audio-based stories of individuals who have been discriminated against due to their nationality. The posters included QR codes which linked to the podcast to spread awareness.

Organized by Luka Gotsiridze, Central European University M.A. student