Miriam Ticktin

Miriam Ticktin, an anthropology professor who studies migration, humanitarianism, and care. She traces how the idea of innocence shapes politics, from refugee imagery and racialized valuation to reproductive and environmental debates. The conversation highlights innocence as a moral grammar that excludes many and explores collective alternatives like commoning.

Miriam Ticktin, a CUNY anthropology professor who studies migration and humanitarianism, discusses her book Against Innocence: Undoing and Remaking the World. She explores how claims of innocence shape political life and justify intervention. She traces innocence across migration, visual culture, race, reproduction, and environmental claims. She also outlines commoning and collective responsibility as alternatives.