ECPR

Install the app

Install this application on your home screen for quick and easy access when you’re on the go.

Just tap Share then “Add to Home Screen”

ECPR

Install the app

Install this application on your home screen for quick and easy access when you’re on the go.

Just tap Share then “Add to Home Screen”

Putting Citizenship into Perspective: (A)part of the Problem or the Solution?

Citizenship
Democracy
Populism
Education
Liberalism
Activism
S51
Tuuli-Marja Kleiner
Thünen Institute of Rural Studies
Trond Solhaug
Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Trondheim
Gal Levy
Open University of Israel

Endorsed by the ECPR Standing Group on Citizenship


Abstract

Political struggles for change and inclusion by groups of previously marginalised and would be citizens have been taking a center stage in world politics recently. The momentum and worldwide scale of new types of social movements, such as the #Metoo movement, serve as testimonies of the continued significance of liberal ideals. At the same time however, an increasingly large segment of regular citizens and much of the political elite have begun to express support for more polarising ideals, including populism, ethno-centric nationalism and chauvinism. These developments have placed enormous pressure on the ideals of social justice, equality and liberty, putting them into a distinct state of transition. Against this backdrop, our conventions of what citizenship is or ought to be are in flux. In order to really understand at what point and why have the exercising of civic and political rights begun to appear as undemocratic, we must ‘return to the basics’ and put citizenship into broader social, political and historical perspectives. We thus invite contributions which consider recent empirical developments in the light of broader trends in the field of citizenship studies. We are especially interested in contributions aiming to resolve questions of “who is a (good) citizen?”, considering senses of belonging, rights, duties and participation, “what is citizenship?”, “where are its boundaries?” and “how its models are devised today?”, among others. The expansion of citizenship from a mere legal status to a comprehensive moral and political practice has dovetailed scholarly interest in these questions. Recent developments which appear to reverse such an expansionist reading of citizenship seem to require that scholars revisit and re-address the very same questions, simplifying their approach and shifting their focus from “the doer” to “the deed”, and further to "how the deed is done".
Code Title Details
S007 Active Citizenship: Revisiting Citizen Practices and Motives of Participation Today View Panel Details
S044 Citizenship and Awareness: Exploring Political Awareness, Skills, Cognition and Preparation for Action View Panel Details
S045 Citizenship Education Research and Educational Transformation View Panel Details
S064 Contemporary Citizenship: Exclusion and Inclusion View Panel Details
S337 Shaping Good Citizens through Public Policies: How does the State Contribute to Defining Citizenship? View Panel Details