Chapter 14 : Concept of Citizenship

Concept of Citizenship

Nature of Citizenship

What is Citizenship?

• Definition: Citizenship refers to the status of an individual as a full and responsible member of a political community.

• It implies a two-way relationship between the individual and the state:

• Individual → State: Owes allegiance, fulfils duties and obligations.

• State → Individual: Grants protection and civil, political, and social rights.

• Subject vs. Citizen:

• Subject: Subservient to the state; the right to rule is reserved for a privileged class.

• Citizen: Citizens themselves constitute the state. The right to rule is decided by a prescribed procedure expressing the general will, without discrimination on grounds of race, religion, gender, or place of birth.

• T.H. Marshall (Citizenship and Social Class, 1950): Citizenship implies full membership of a community where those possessing the status are equal regarding rights and duties. There is no universal principle determining necessary rights/duties; different societies attach different ones.

• Formal vs. Substantive Citizenship:

• Formal: Being a citizen only in a legal/formal sense.

• Substantive: Actual enjoyment of citizenship rights.

• When substantive rights are denied, groups resort to social movements (combining conventional voting/lobbying with unconventional protests/sit-ins).

• Examples: Abolitionist and civil rights movements (America), working-class movements (Europe), adivasi and dalit movements (India).

• Shift in Focus: The original concept focused exclusively on duty (rights were relegated to the background). Contemporary society primarily focuses on rights, accepting duties only as long as they maintain those rights.

Historical Development

• Ancient Greece:
• Only about 10% of inhabitants ('freemen') enjoyed full citizenship. Slaves, women, and aliens were excluded.
• Freemen were equal among themselves (no rich/poor discrimination).
• Aristotle regarded citizenship as a privilege of the ruling class, standing for effective participation in the exercise of power.
• This privilege was also a duty to secure a good life for themselves and 'non-citizens'.
• Roman Empire:
• Initially confined to power-holders, later extended to ordinary people and those vanquished in war.
• Excluded only the lowest rank and women.
• Different categories of citizens had different rights (unlike the modern concept).
• Citizen defined as one under the protection of the laws (unlike the Greek view of citizen as protector of law).
• Medieval Europe: Temporal…