Citizenship

Chapter 6
Citizenship
Citizenship is the status of a person recognized under the custom or law of a
sovereign state or local jurisdiction. In many sovereign states, citizenship is
equal to nationality, which is in international law the membership to a
sovereign state.
It also implies full and equal members of a political community.
Full membership
Full Membership of a political community means that he/she enjoys all civil
as well as political rights under the protection of the state in return for
his/her loyalty to the state This means that he/she agrees to abide by the
rules and regulations of the society, not be a disturbance to the society and
follow his/her duties completely along with rights.
A Collective political Identity: Nation-states provide a collective political

identity to their members as well as certain rights. Therefore we think of
ourselves as Indians, or Japanese, or Germans, depending on the state to
which we belong.
Citizens expect certain rights from their state as well as help and protection
wherever they may travel. Certain rights are required so that a person is
able to live their lives with dignity and can progress and develop in the
respective areas of interest. A citizen also requires protection towards
his/her life or right to life, so that one may live freely.
A state is also required for protection towards threats and that can provide
necessary conditions for minimum quality of life.
Refugees do not have full membership in their country and hence they
do not enjoy any rights and live like strangers in another country.
Such people are not guaranteed rights by any state and generally live
in precarious conditions.
Equal Membership
The term "equal membership" refers to the fact that all citizens have the
same rights. Nobody is treated unfairly because of their caste, religion,
region, or gender. When we talk about citizenship, we're talking about rights
and responsibilities, which we've won after many battles, such as the Indian
freedom struggle. Black people in South Africa fought for equal rights.
Citizenship encompasses not only state-citizen relations but also citizens

and their responsibilities to the state. It encompasses not only state-
imposed legal obligations but also a moral obligation to participate in and
contribute to the community's shared life.
Citizens are also regarded as the inheritors and trustees of the country's
culture and natural resources.
What Rights Are Granted To Citizens?
The exact nature of citizens' rights varies by state, but in most democratic
countries today, they would include political rights such as the right to vote,
civil rights such as freedom of speech or belief, and socio-economic rights
such as the right to a minimum wage or the right to education.
The right to equality of rights and status is one of the fundamental rights of
citizenship.
Why do migrants/outsiders often face resistance?
Locals become resentful of jobs and opportunities being given to people from
outside the area, sometimes at lower wages, as a result of worker migration.
There may be a demand to limit certain jobs to state residents or those who
speak the local language. The issue could be taken up by political parties.
Organised violence against "outsiders" could be part of the resistance. Such

movements have occurred in almost every region of India. There may be a
distinction between how we respond to poor migrants and how we respond
to skilled migrants at times. We may not always be as welcoming to poor
migrants who move into our communities as we are to highly skilled and
wealthy workers.
SUMMARY
 Citizenship refers to the collective political identity of individuals of the

state who enjoy some certain rights also.
 A citzen is entitled to abide by the laws of a particular country in which
one enjoys the rights as a citizen.
 An ideal citizen can be referred to possess the qualities to be educated,
aware of rights and duties, to have a high gravity in character as well
as to be loyal to the country.
 In a democratic setup, the citizens enjoy the political rights also, i.e.
right to vote, to contest elections, to form political parties and to hold
public offices, etc.
 Every citizen is entitled to perform some certain duties also associated
with the rights, i. e. obedience of law, loyalty towards the state,
cooperation with the public servants and payment of taxes, etc.
 A natural born citizen is the one who either born in the country or if
one’s parents are the citizens of a particular country.
 The citizenship of a country can be acquired by marriages,
appointment as a government official, acquisition of a territory and
purchases of immovable property, etc.
 A good citizenship may be hindered by in differences, poverty, narrow
growing and lack of education, etc.
 Global citizenship makes the work easier to deal with the problems to
extend across national boundaries and to need cooperative actions of
the states on the issues of migrants, stateless people as well as to
ensure basic rights and protection, etc.

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Chapter 6

It also implies full and equal members of a political community.

A Collective political Identity: Nation-states provide a collective political

Citizenship encompasses not only state-citizen relations but also citizens

Why do migrants/outsiders often face resistance?

Organised violence against "outsiders" could be part of the resistance. Such

 Citizenship refers to the collective political identity of individuals of the

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