University of Surrey Issues in Politics Today

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University of SurreyIssues in Politics Today

• What is Citizenship?

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Outline

• Origins of Citizenship
• Participation in Public Affairs
• Identity Inclusion/Exclusion
• What rights does a citizen have
• Global Citizenship

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Citizenship

• Concerned with membership of a political
  community
• Relationship between individuals and a political
  community and between individuals
• Rights Responsibilities but which rights and
  which responsibilities?

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Classical Origins of Citizenship

• Originates in Ancient Greece circa 700-600BC
• Participation in the affairs of government
• Roman conception came to be more about legal
  status way if integrating conquered peoples
  into the Empire

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Classical Origins of Citizenship II

• Classical models raise 3 elements of citizenship
  which continue to be debated
• Participation in public affairs
• Inclusion/Exclusion who is a citizen?
• Rights but which rights?

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1. Participation in public affairs

• Can take many forms voting to jury duty
• Concern about falling participation in many
  western democracies
• In the UK led to citizenship education classes
• To be active participatory citizens need to be
  informed about
• - the balance between rights responsibilities
• - the value of participation in the community
• - the opportunities to participate

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2. Identity Inclusion/Exclusion

• How to include people from diverse backgrounds
• Equal rights for all? But do they accommodate
  cultural difference, or suppress it?
• Multicultural rights different rights to take
  account of and celebrate our difference? But
  common citizenship?

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3. What rights does a citizen have?

• Civil rights (civil liberties)
• Political rights (to participate in process of
  government)
• Social rights?
• Some argue social rights are necessary for other
  rights to be enjoyed
• Others argue we have obligation to provide for
  our own welfare that social rights make us
  passive, not active citizens

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Global Citizenship

• Citizenship at the national level
• But what about Global Citizenship
• Universal human rights UN Declaration of Human
  Rights (1948) rights no matter where you live
• Global responsibilities the environment
• People participate campaign on global issues
  (e.g. poverty in Africa)
• Global citizenship lacks formal status but has
  rights, responsibilities participation