Return of the Citizen: A Survey of Recent Work on Citizenship Theory
Author(s)
Kymlicka, Will; Norman, Wayne
Abstract
Citizenship defines the status of an individual in society and is thus of fundamental importance for enhancing individual Well-being. Postwar citizenship theorists defined citizenship primarily in terms of rights. In more recent years, two major critiques of this dominant view of citizenship have arisen and are summarized in this article. One set of critiques concerns the need for more active assertions of citizen responsibilities and virtues, such as economic self-reliance, political participation, and civility. The other set of critiques involves the need for the citizenship concept to adjust to the social and cultural pluralism of modern societies.