Thread by @Kinofrau1

Whenever you're unsure about white privilege:

Did you know that the German passport is ranked NUMBER 1 in the Global Passport power rank (followed by New Zealand)?

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passportindex.org/byRank.php

Your passport determines your mobility, the jobs you can go for, your holiday destinations, how you get married (civil or religious - Lebanese people wishing to have a civil ceremony need an EU visa to go Cyprus to do it), how often you can see friends/partners etc.

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Now this great for those born in countries allowing this kind of mobility simply because while you didn't chose being born in Germany, the fact that you were means that there are obstacles which you simply do not have to deal with.

This is okay.

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So when thinking intersectionally about academia in Germany with #ichbinhanna but also beyond it, keep in mind that many of your friends, neighbors, colleagues do not have access to these resources as fast & as easy as you for a variety of historical & political reasons.

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To be as concrete as possible: I have never been to the UK. My Lebanese passport does not give me access to the country (check out its rank in the list). So, for me, on top of needing a YEARLY visa to the countries in the Schengen area which I've lived in...

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I would need a second visa just to enter, visit, transit in the UK, making this 2 visas a year. Also, entering Ireland is the same thing. To visit Dublin AND Belfast while living in Germany, I would literally need 3 visas for each place each year.

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I never had enough energy or desire to go through yet another visa application for tourism & I have avoided offline conferences in Ireland & the UK for this reason alone. So I'm grateful for digital ones.
Sure it's my choice not to apply. But it's also a tall order on me.

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Not to add the costs that all these applications.
On top of visa fees, for e.g, the Lebanese passport is one of the most expensive IN THE WORLD weighing in at 250 euros (+ transport fees) for 5 years (the maximum span) & the nerve-wrecking process.

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So the passport you have (through no fault/work of your own) structures your access to academia by shaping your mobility in the world. So be kind to us who can't travel as easily as you. #IchBinHannah
When conferences are offline again, please

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count enough time between accepting our paper & conference begin. visas need TIME (months on end) so many of us cannot just bust into town & deliver papers.
Bureaucracy takes its toll on our wallets, travel plans & nerves.

Spread understanding instead of borders.

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I know this list is problematic in its own way. Still, for me, it was & is important especially in regards to #Lebanon because it allowed me to demonstrate to sugar-coating acquaintances in Beirut just how destitute the country really is.

I need a visa for 155 COUNTRIES!

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@AKellerGEW