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Boston Academy of English
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Citizenship and national identity are shifting in a globalizing world. An increasing number of people carry two or more passports and affluent citizens travel, study and work in multiple lands. Mass migration means that the poor as well as the rich have ties to more than one nation. What does citizenship mean when passports for many countries can be purchased outright and some people even hold elected office in more than one country simultaneously? Clearly, citizenship and national identity are changing -- a sign that the nation state is itself in flux as an "imagined community."
Documents | Articles | Archived Articles
Documents
Selective denial of full citizenship rights to minority groups in Africa has impeded democratization and led to political conflict. This paper looks at the role of citizenship in politics and intercommunal strife in the context of such cases as the Rwandan genocide, immigrants' rights in Congo, and ethnic minorities in Nigeria. (Global Governance)
This paper discusses the concept of multiple citizenship in the context of contemporary United States immigration policy. (Center for Immigration Studies)
Fundamental and universally recognized rights and liberties are the basis for the liberalist concept of citizenship. This article suggests that the US has strayed from the principles of personal liberty upon which citizenship in the United States were originally founded. (University of Florence)
The majority of immigrants in the United States take an oath of allegiance to the country upon naturalization. For the most part, however, immigrants are unaware of the fact that the oath is not a legal requirement in the US but has a merely symbolic importance.
Articles
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | Archived Articles
2009
Eric Besson, French minister of national identity, launched a three month participatory debate on what it "means" to be "French." Besson is also minister of immigration, reflecting the likelihood that the issues of immigration and national identity will be conflated, further widening the divisions in France. This project - supported by President Nicolas Sarkozy - has been criticized as a cynical ploy to boost ratings before the March regional elections by pandering to the right's national rhetoric. (Guardian)
The UK seeks to change its regulations on British citizenship. The new set of rules requires applicants to pass a test and win points before earning the right to carry a UK passport. The proposed measures come after record numbers of migrants entered the UK recently. With the new system, it may take up to 10 years to earn the right to stay. (Bloomberg)
Some 12 million people around the world are still stateless. Being stateless means having no legal protection or right to participate in political processes, inadequate access to health care and education, travel restrictions, social exclusion, and vulnerability to trafficking. This situation results from many factors, such as political change, expulsion of people from a territory, or discrimination. But unlike refugees, stateless individuals do not benefit from the protection and assistance of governments, aid agencies, or the UN. This report aims to call attention to this problem and to promote solutions coming from the UN by improving coordination among its agencies. (Refugees International)
Professor Daniele Archibugi examines the question of whether democracy can be "exported" to autocratic countries and the conditions under which this is legitimate. As he points out, "imposing a regime from the outside is above all an act of power." In the post-WW2 period, world public opinion has perceived coercive means and military action as a "US imperial projection," which has undermined the legitimacy of the "exporters" of democracy. Instead, Archibugi pleads for a kind of democracy that fosters a direct exchange with citizens of authoritarian countries, by reinforcing the democratic role of international organizations. (openDemocracy)
2008
Most European countries have traditionally constructed their concept of citizenship in individual-centered, non-discriminatory terms. But, author Christian Joppke argues that since 2000, countries such as the Netherlands, France and Denmark implemented more restrictive citizenship measures, partly in response to their failure to integrate Muslim immigrants. Governments passed laws promoting civic integration and preventing "marriages of convenience." Joppke says citizenship policies, on the whole, show both restrictive and liberalizing trends. (Law & Ethics of Human Rights)
From September 1, 2008, people who wish to become German citizens must pass a citizenship test, in addition to the previous citizenship requirements. Prospective citizens can take an "integration course" or study on their own before they take the test which measures basic knowledge of German history, politics, geography, and culture. A large majority of the German population supports the new prerequisite. But many immigrant groups oppose the test, viewing it as "one more link in the chain of discrimination." (Inter Press Service)
The world's 15 million non-citizens cannot work legally or travel, and they have limited access to hospitals and basic bank services. Most non-citizens live in war-torn areas or newly emerged democracies, where governments do not have the capacity to deal with the problem of stateless peoples. The UN affirms everyone's right to a nationality and has two conventions on statelessness. But only 62 countries signed the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and only 34 signed the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. (UNA-USA)
Thanks to 35 foreign investors, Jay Park ski resort in Vermont will get a new hotel in the fall of 2008. What is in it for these overseas funders, besides two weeks of free skiing? The US EB-5 program will grant them permanent green cards because they invest in a "job-creating business." The program requires $500,000 and a two year commitment to the project. In contrast to the heavy restrictions on ordinary immigrants, the US government generously hands out green cards to those prepared to pay a lot of money for them. (New York Times)
When Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991, only 40 percent of the population consisted of ethnic Kazakhs. During communism, Stalin sent millions of people from other parts of the Soviet Union to concentration camps in Kazakhstan. Afterwards, those who survived contributed to a multicultural society in the region. This BBC article argues that Kazakhstan needs nation-building as well as a "unifying identity." Schools are at the heart of this, spreading the Kazakh language as a means of solving the "national identity crisis." Simultaneously, people are trying to unite through a common tribal history before Russian Tsars imposed their influence. This, however, jeopardizes the integration of non-Kazakhs in the society, fears historian Nurbulat Masanov.
2007
The Bangladesh government has granted citizenship to a large part of the Bihari population. The Urdu-speaking Muslim group was once part of India but Bangladeshi law stripped the people of any political rights and isolated the group for siding with Pakistan during the struggle for independence. While the UNHCR put pressure on the Bangladeshi government to treat the Biharis according to refugee conventions, the influential NGO Refugees International campaigned actively for the implementation of a full citizenship. (OneWorld US)
Small island states could disappear in the near future due to climate change, leaving thousands of islanders stateless. As states have never before simply vanished, who should bear the responsibility for the suddenly stateless people? This UNHCR publication reports that 5.8 million people in the world are officially recognized as stateless but that the number is probably closer to 15 million. Some end up stateless because their country has changed in a particular way; decolonized, dissolved etc. Others are victims of ethnic, political or religious discrimination. Though politicians in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Nepal have implemented rights for some former stateless people, much still needs to be done.
Thousands of Mozambican children live a "stateless existence" in Zimbabwe - the remnants of Mozambique's 17 year civil war - reports this Integrated Regional Information Networks piece. The author argues that many Mozambican refugees are unable to obtain Zimbabwean citizenship because their identity documents were lost as they fled the war. Ultimately lacking these documents means thousands of people are denied access to social services in Zimbabwe, such as education and healthcare.
This Asia Times piece reports on Indonesia's new citizenship law, which defines an Indonesian national as anyone born in the country. This represents a victory for Chinese-Indonesians "approximately two percent of the population" who have been considered stateless since a 1967 crackdown on the Chinese population by former Indonesian President Suharto. The author argues that this new law combined with national recognition of Chinese holidays demonstrates the government's willingness to integrate the Chinese community into Indonesia.
The problem of citizenship in Côte d'Ivoire continues, where millions of inhabitants in the region are discriminated against for lack of so-called "Ivoirite" or "Ivorian ethnicity." The Ivorian government's plan to issue new identity documents to the entire population has so far failed due to President Gbagbo's opposition. Refugees International recommends, amongst other things, that UNHCR seek support from the international community to assist in the statelessness identification and remedy process.
This International Herald Tribune article reports that increasing numbers of Asian immigrants are attempting to reach Europe by way of Spain's Canary Islands. Because many of the immigrants do not bring their passports or visas on the final leg of the journey, thus becoming "stateless," no country feels obligated to accept them.
Increasing numbers of people are pursuing citizenship in second or third countries, reports this International Herald Tribune article. The author argues that citizenship is no longer about identity, rather people view dual or triple nationalities as a convenience as it enables them to earn a better living or be entitled to a better social welfare system.
The Australian government announced that it is changing the name of its Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and will make citizenship requirements harder to fulfill. This International Herald Tribune article argues that such assimilative actions are designed to stop immigrants from clinging to "inappropriate" aspects of their cultural heritage that are seen as incompatible with Australian culture.
Archived Articles
