Chapter 6
Citizenship
Introduction
Is the term ‘citizenship’ legal, philosophical, political, social or economic? Or
is it a combination of all these dimensions? Does this flexibility make the term
so elastic that it is effectively unusable?The literature on citizenship has burgeoned massively over the past decade
with a journal devoted to the concept; reports on the teaching of the idea to
school students; ministerial pronouncements on the subject; and articles
and books galore in scholarly and popular publications. In Britain, there is
even a ceremony that has been devised for new citizens! Although the
classical concepts of citizenship go back to the ancient Greeks (as we shall
see in a moment) and were reworked in classical liberalism, contemporary
commentators have sought to develop a concept of citizenship which is much
more inclusive than earlier views.Chapter map
In this chapter we will explore:- The limitations of the ancient Greek
concept of citizenship, and the
exclusiveness of the liberal view. The
abstract character of the liberal view of
citizenship, its universal claims to
freedom and equality and the
inequalities of class. - Marshall’s argument that citizenship, in
its modern form, requires social as well
as political and legal rights. The rise of
the New Right in Britain and the USA
and its challenge to the concept of
citizenship in the welfare state. - The barriers that women face to a
meaningful citizenship. How and why
these barriers prevent women from
running their own lives and impoverish
their citizenship.- The case for a basic income as a way
of enhancing citizenship. - Global citizenship as a status that does
not contradict citizenship as member
of a state. Citizenship as an identity at
local, regional and national levels as
well. The development of citizenship in
the European Union. - The tension between the state and
citizenship, the question of class and
citizenship, the case for transforming
the market and the presentation of
citizenship as a relational concept.