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Political Theory
Citizenship
Chapter 6
Citizenship
Overview
Citizenship implies full and equal membership of a political community. In this
chapter we will explore what exactly this means today. In Sections 6.2 and 6.3 we
will look at some debates and struggles which are going on regarding the interpretation
of the term ‘full and equal membership’. Section 6.4 will discuss the relationship
between citizens and the nation and the criteria of citizenship adopted in different
countries. Theories of democratic citizenship claim that citizenship should be
universal. Does this mean that every person today should be accepted as a member
of one or other state? then How can we explain the existence of so many stateless
people? This issue will be discussed in Section 6.5. The last section 6.6 will discuss
the issue of global citizenship. Does it exist and could it replace national citizenship?
After going through this chapter you should be able to
o explain the meaning of citizenship, and
o discuss some of the areas in which that meaning is being expanded or
challenged today.
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6.1 INTRODUCTION
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Each of the rights now enjoyed by citizens
has been won after struggle. Some of the earliest
struggles were fought by people to assert their
independence and rights against powerful
monarchies. Many European countries
experienced such struggles, some of them violent,
like the French Revolution in 1789. In the colonies
of Asia and Africa, demands for equal citizenship
formed part of their struggle for independence
from colonial rulers. In South Africa, the black
African population had to undertake a long
struggle against the ruling white minority for
equal citizenship. This continued until the early
1990s. Struggles to achieve full membership and
equal rights continue even now in many parts of the world. You
may have read about the women’s movement and the dalit movement
in our country. Their purpose is to change public opinion by drawing
attention to their needs as well as to influence government policy to
ensure them equal rights and opportunities.
LET’S THINK
During seventeenth to twentieth century, white people of
Europe established their rule over the black people in
South Africa. Read the following description about the
policy practices in South Africa till 1994.
The whites had the right to vote, contest elections
and elect government; they were free to purchase property
and go to any place in the country. Blacks did not have
such rights. Separate colonies for whites and blacks were
established. The blacks had to take ‘passes’ to work in
white neighbourhoods. They were not allowed to keep their
families in the white areas. The schools were also separate
for the people of different colour.
o Do you think the Blacks had full and equal membership
in South Africa? Give reasons.
o What does the above description tell us about the
relationship of different groups in South Africa?
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LET’S THINK
Examine the arguments for and against freedom of
movement and occupation throughout the country for
citizens.
Should the long-term inhabitants of a region enjoy
preference for jobs and facilities?
Or, should states be allowed to fix quotas for
admissions to professional colleges for students who do
not belong to that state?
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slum dwellers
make a significant
contribution to the
Citizenship
CITIZENSHIP, EQUALITY AND RIGHTS
Citizenship is not merely a legal concept. It is also closely
economy through related to larger notions of equality and rights. A widely
their labour. They accepted formulation of this relationship was provided
may be hawkers, by the British sociologist, T. H. Marshall (1893-1981).
petty traders, In his book Citizenship and Social Class (1950), Marshall
defined citizenship as “a status bestowed on those who
scavengers, or
are full members of a community. All who possess the
domestic workers,
status are equal with respect to the rights and duties
plumbers, or
with which the status is endowed.”
mechanics, among The key concept in Marshall’s idea of citizenship is
other professions. that of ‘equality’. This implies two things: first, that
Small businesses quality of the given rights and duties improves. Second,
such as cane that the quantity of people upon whom they are
weaving, or textile bestowed grows.
printing, or Marshall sees citizenship as involving three kinds
tailoring, may also of rights: civil, political and social.
develop in slums. Civil rights protect the individual’s life, liberty and
The city probably property. Political rights enable the individual to participate
spends relatively in the process of governance. Social rights give the
individual access to education and employment. Together
little on providing
they make it possible for the citizen to lead a life of dignity.
slum-dwellers with
Marshall saw social class as a ‘system of inequality’.
services such as Citizenship ensures equality by countering the divisive
sanitation or water effects of class hierarchy. It thus facilitates the creation
supply. of a better-integrated and harmonious community.
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CITIZENSHIP, EQUALITY AND
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What should become clear from this discussion is
that changes in the world situation, the economy, and
society demand new interpretations of the meaning
and rights of citizenship. The formal laws regarding LET’S DO IT Do
citizenship only form the starting point and the
Survey three families
interpretation of laws is constantly evolving. While
of workers working
answers to some the problems which may arise may
close to, or in, your
not be easy to find, the concept of equal citizenship homes or school. Find
would mean that providing equal rights and protection out details about their
to all citizens should be one of the guiding principles life. Where is their
of government policies. ancestral place? When
and why did they
come here? Where do
LET’S THINK they live? How many
According to the official figures published people share the
about the land distribution in Zimbabwe, accommodation?
some 4,400 white families owned 32 What kinds of facilities
per cent of agricultural land that is about are available to them?
10m hectares. About one million black Do their children
peasant families own just 16m hectares attend school?
that is the 38 per cent of the land. While
the land that is with the white families is
fertile and irrigated, the land in the hands
of black population is less fertile and
unirrigated. While tracing the history of
land ownership, it is very obvious that a
LET’S DO IT Do
century ago the whites had taken the Find out about
fertile land from the native people. Whites the street vendors
have now been in Zimbabwe for (Protection of
generations and consider themselves as Livelihood and
Zimbabweans. The total population of Regulation of
whites in Zimbabwe is just 0.06 per cent Street Vending)
of the population. In the year 1997, Act, 2014.
the President of Zimbabwe, Mugabe
announced the plans to take over around
1500 farms.
What ideas from citizenship would
you use to support or oppose the claims
of Black and White Citizens of
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6.4 CITIZEN AND NATION
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by some schools on the ground that it involved bringing religious
symbols into the public sphere of state education. Those whose
religions did not demand such practices naturally did not face the
same problem. Clearly, assimilation into the national culture would
be easier for some groups than for others.
The criteria for granting citizenship to new applicants varies
from country to country. In countries such as Israel, or Germany,
factors like religion, or ethnic origin, may be given priority when
granting citizenship. In Germany there has been a persistent demand
from Turkish workers, who were at one time encouraged to come
and work in Germany, that their children who have been born and
brought up in Germany should automatically be granted citizenship.
This is still being debated. These are only a few examples of the
kinds of restrictions which may be placed on citizenship even in
democratic countries which pride themselves on being inclusive.
India defines itself as a secular, democratic, nation state. The
movement for independence was a broad based one and deliberate
attempts were made to bind together people of different religions,
regions and cultures. True, Partition of the country did take place
in 1947 when differences with the Muslim League could not be
resolved, but this only strengthened the resolve of Indian national
leaders to maintain the secular and inclusive character of the Indian
nation state they were committed to build. This resolve was embodied
in the Constitution.
The Indian Constitution attempted to accommodate a very diverse
society. To mention just a few of these diversities, it attempted to
provide full and equal citizenship to groups as different as the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, many women who had not
previously enjoyed equal rights, some remote communities in the
Andaman and Nicobar islands who had had little contact with modern
civilization, and many others. It also attempted to find a place for the
different languages, religions and practices found in different parts of
the country. It had to provide equal rights to all without at the same
time forcing people to give up their personal beliefs, languages or
cultural practices. It was therefore a unique experiment which was
undertaken through the Constitution. The Republic Day parade in
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“”
The provisions about citizenship in the
Constitution can be found in Part Two and in
LET’S DEBATE subsequent laws passed by Parliament. The
Constitution adopted an essentially democratic and
It is not appropriate for inclusive notion of citizenship. In India, citizenship
schools, or any other can be acquired by birth, descent, registration,
public agencies like naturalisation, or inclusion of territory. The rights
the army, to insist on and obligations of citizens are listed in the
a common unifor m Constitution. There is also a provision that the state
and to ban the display should not discriminate against citizens on grounds
of religious symbols
only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, or
such as the turban.
any of them. The rights of religious and linguistic
minorities are also protected.
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We often assume that full membership of a state should be
available to all those who ordinarily live and work in the country as
well as to those who apply for citizenship. But although many states
may support the idea of universal and inclusive citizenship, each of
them also fixes criteria for the grant of citizenship. These would
generally be written into the Constitution and laws of the country.
States use their power to keep unwanted visitors out.
However, in spite of restrictions, even the building of walls or
fences, considerable migration of peoples still takes place in the
world. People may be displaced by wars, or persecution, famine, or
other reasons. If no state is willing to accept them and they cannot
return home, they become stateless peoples or refugees. They may
be forced to live in camps, or as illegal migrants. Often they cannot
legally work, or educate their children, or acquire property. The
problem is so great that the U.N. has appointed a High Commissioner
for Refugees to try to help them.
Decisions regarding how many people can be absorbed as citizens
in a country poses a difficult humanitarian and political problem for
many states. Many countries have a policy of accepting those fleeing
from persecution or war. But they may not want to accept
unmanageable number of people or expose the country to security
risks. India prides itself on providing refuge to persecuted peoples,
as it did with the Dalai Lama and his followers in 1959. Entry of
people from neighbouring countries has taken place along all the
borders of the Indian state and the process continues. Many of these
people remain as stateless peoples for many years or generations,
living in camps, or as illegal migrants. Only a relatively few of them
are eventually granted citizenship. Such problems pose a challenge
to the promise of democratic citizenship which is that the rights and
identity of citizen would be available to all people in the contemporary
world. Although many people cannot achieve citizenship of a state of
their choice, no alternative identity exists for them.
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identities, and security, and be forced
to migrate. Can citizenship provide a
solution to the problems of such LET’S DO IT
Political Theory
Do
people? If not, what kind of alternative
List some of the
identity can be provided today? Do we
stateless people living
need to try and evolve a more genuinely
in India today. Write a
universal identity than national short note on any of
citizenship? Suggestions for a notion of them.
global citizenship are sometimes put
forward. The possibilities will be
discussed in the next section.
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linked to each other across national boundaries. They would say that
the outpouring of help from all parts of the world for victims of the
Asian tsunami and other major calamities is a sign of the emergence
of a global society. They feel that we should try to strengthen this
feeling and work towards a concept of global citizenship.
The concept of national citizenship assumes that our state can
provide us with the protection and rights which we need to live
with dignity in the world today. But states today are faced with
many problems which they cannot tackle by themselves. In this
situation are individual rights, guaranteed by the state, sufficient
to protect the freedom of people today? Or has the time come to
move to a concept of human rights and global citizenship?
One of the attractions of the notion of global citizenship is that
it might make it easier to deal with problems which extend across
national boundaries and which therefore need cooperative action
by the people and governments of many states. For instance, it
might make it easier to find an acceptable solution to the issue of
migrants and stateless peoples, or at least to ensure them basic
rights and protection regardless of the country in which they may
be living.
In the previous section, we saw that equal citizenship within a
country can be threatened by the socio-economic inequalities or
other problems which might exist. Such problems can ultimately
only be solved by the governments and people of that particular
society. Therefore, full and equal membership of a state remains
important for people today. But the
concept of global citizenship reminds
us that national citizenship might need
to be supplemented by an awareness
LET’S DO IT Do
Find out about Global
that we live in an interconnected world Citizenship Education
and that there is also a need for us to (GCED) from https://
strengthen our links with people in en.unesco.org/themes
different parts of the world and be ready /gced and https://
to work with people and governments www.gcedclearing
across national boundaries. house.org
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2. All citizens may be granted equal rights but all may not be able to
equally exercise them. Explain.
Exercises
3. Write a short note on any two struggles for full enjoyment of citizen
rights which have taken place in India in recent years. Which rights
were being claimed in each case?
4. What are some of the problems faced by refugees? In what ways could
the concept of global citizenship benefit them?
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