POLITICS citizenship in political theory

State reorganization typically refers to the process of altering the boundaries, governance structures, or functions of administrative regions within a country. This can include the creation of new states or provinces, merging or splitting existing ones, or changing their administrative status. The purpose of state reorganization can vary, but it often aims to improve governance, address ethnic or linguistic demands, or enhance economic development.

One notable example is the reorganization of states in India, which has undergone several changes since independence in 1947 to accommodate linguistic, cultural, and administrative needs. Another example is the redistricting process in the United States, which can affect political representation and resource allocation.

1. MOOC ON POLITICAL THEORY: CONCEPTS & DEBATES   MODULE 24   Citizenship: Evolution

2. Marxist critique Marxist theory of citizenship treats citizens’ rights as the product of class conflict, as citizenship is founded and those rights which dominating class happens to win for itself by suppressing the rights of its antagonistic class.  

3. T. H. Marshall’s view on citizenship in three points. Marshall treats the development of citizenship as if it unfolds in phases according to some inner logic of modern democratic state. Marshal contention of citizenship developing in a uni linear manner is untenable. Third, in contradicting Marshal’s three fold categorization of rights.

4. Feminist critique The feminists of all strands have criticized the dominant conceptions of citizenship mainly on two grounds. Firstly, they argue that citizenship is gender-bound. Secondly, historical conceptualizations of citizenship have mostly thrived on citizenship being increasingly identified with male and public activities.  

5. Feminist, assert the condition of equal participation of women in public life is fulfilled, the concept of citizenship cannot be brought to its logical conclusion.

6. The second group basically questions the patriarchal state and argues for the inclusion of women’s specific functions into the public realm of citizenship, thereby promoting the private side of the public/ private divide into the realm of democratic politics Feminist, however, differ among themselves on remedying their exclusion from the political community One group focuses on political participation, viewing citizenship as political activity, and argues for inclusion in the public sphere as equals, thereby democratizing the public sphere.

7. Pluralist Perception of Citizenship Pluralist theory insist on inquiring into all types of discrimination against people, whether on grounds of race, ethnicity, religion, property, education, occupation or age.   Pluralist theory does not provide for any fixed framework for analysis of the problem of citizenship.

8. Multiculturalism Notions of multiculturalism and minority rights have been invoked in contemporary times as democratic values in order to redefine citizenship by giving due importance to cultural differences among individuals and striking a balance between the numerous religious, ethnic and linguistic identities while constructing a common political identity of the citizen.

9. Iris Marion Young Justice and the Politics of Difference (1990) has formulated the theory of “differentiated citizenship”, which means that members of certain groups should be accommodated not only as individuals but also their group and their citizenship rights partially depend on their group affiliation. Will Kymlicka In Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights (1996) argues for accommodating cultural and group differences in a person’s group membership and membership of cultural community.

10.   Neo-republicanism First, disillusionment about growing political apathy and passivity of the citizens is found in liberal regimes. Secondly, another strand of neo-republicanism is found in communitarian theories, they blame the passivity of liberal citizenship for the disintegration of social bonds and the rise in anomie and alienation in modern societies. This variety of communitarian strand extracts the focus on community and duty from the republican tradition.

11. Stateless Citizens: Rohingya Problem The Rohingyas , a stateless Muslim minority segment of Myanmar’s Rakhine province, constitute a wandering group near the Bangladesh border, who are floundering as a helpless, ‘nowhere-group’ in search of a home and citizenship. The Rohingyas have been displaced by the new post-transition Myanmar government in course of what has been packaged as “counter-insurgency operation”.

12. World Citizenship Universal human rights by themselves cannot ensure participatory networks for safeguarding rights. Moreover, the developed countries have started enacting stringent immigration laws, fortification of national boundaries and emphasizing “blood ties” as consideration for granting citizenship. The idea of world citizenship still largely remains in the visions of philosophers like Emanuel Kant, Sri Aurobindo and Bertrand Russell.