Trace the development of the concept of citizenship.
Traditions and approaches to citizenship vary throughout
history and across the planet consistent with different countries, histories,
societies, cultures and ideologies, leading to many various understandings of
the concept of citizenship.
The origin of citizenship are often traced back to Ancient
Greece, when "citizens" were those that had a right to participate
within the affairs of the state. However, by no means was everyone a citizen:
slaves, peasants, women or resident foreigners were mere subjects. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. For those
that did have the privileged status of being citizens, the thought of
"civic virtue" or being a "good" citizen was a crucial a
part of the concept, since participation wasn't considered only a right but
also, and first of all, a duty. A citizen who didn't meet his responsibilities
was considered socially disruptive.
This concept of citizenship is reflected in today's
commonest understanding of citizenship also , which relates to a legal
relationship between the individual and therefore the state. most of the people
within the world are legal citizens of 1 or another nation state, and this
entitles them to certain privileges or rights. Being a citizen also imposes
certain duties in terms of what the state expects from individuals under its
jurisdiction. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. Thus, citizens fulfil certain obligations to their state and
reciprocally they'll expect protection of their vital interests.
However, the concept of citizenship has much more layers of
meaning than legal citizenship. Nowadays "citizenship" is far quite a
legal construction and relates – amongst other things – to one's personal sense
of belonging, as an example the sense of belonging to a community which you'll
shape and influence directly.
Such a community are often defined through a spread of
elements, for instance a shared moral code, a uniform set of rights and
obligations, loyalty to a commonly owned civilisation, or a way of identity.
within the geographical sense, "community" is typically defined at
two main levels, differentiating between the area people , during which the
person lives, and therefore the state, to which the person belongs.
In the relationship between the individual and society we
will distinguish four dimensions which correlate with the four subsystems which
one may recognise during a society, and which are essential for its existence:
the political / legal dimension, the social dimension, the cultural dimension
and therefore the economic dimension.1
The social dimension of citizenship has got to do with the
behaviour between individuals during a society and requires some measure of
loyalty and solidarity. Social skills and therefore the knowledge of social
relations in society are necessary for the event of this dimension.
The cultural dimension of citizenship refers to the
consciousness of a standard cultural heritage. This cultural dimension should
be developed through the knowledge of cultural heritage, and of history and
basic skills (language competence, reading and writing).
When we are a part of a community, we will influence it,
participate in its development and contribute to its well-being. Therefore,
citizenship is additionally understood as a practice – the practice of playing
a lively role in our society. Such participation could be within our
neighbourhood, during a formal or informal group , in our country, or within
the whole world. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. The notion of active citizenship implies working towards the
betterment of one's community through participation to enhance life for all
members of the community. Democratic citizenship may be a closely related
concept, which emphasises the assumption that citizenship should be supported
democratic principles and values like pluralism, respect for human dignity and
therefore the rule of law.
Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
recognises the proper to a nationality, a right to vary one's nationality, and
therefore the right to not be bereft of nationality. the proper to a
nationality is confirmed in many other international instruments, including the
ecu Convention on Nationality of the Council of Europe (1997). within the
context of international norms, "nationality" and
"citizenship" are usually used synonymously. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. this is often true also
for the Convention as underlined in its Explanatory Report4: nationality
"…refers to a selected legal relationship between a private and a State
which is recognised by that State. …with reference to the consequences of the
Convention, the terms "nationality" and "citizenship" are
synonymous".
The right to a nationality is extremely important due to its
implications for the daily lives of people in every country. Being a recognised
citizen of a rustic has many legal benefits, which can include – counting on
the country – the rights to vote, to carry position , to Social Security , to
health services, to public education, to permanent residency, to have land, or
to interact employed , amongst others.
Although each country can determine who its nationals and
citizens are, and what rights and obligations they need , international human
rights instruments pose some limitations on state sovereignty over citizenship
regulation. Specifically, the universal human rights principle of
non-discrimination and therefore the principle that statelessness should be
avoided constrain state discretion on citizenship.
Participation, in political and cultural life, may be a
fundamental right recognised during a number of international human rights
treaties, starting with Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides
for the proper to participate in government and free elections, the proper to
participate within the cultural lifetime of the community, Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. the proper to
peaceful assembly and association, and therefore the right to hitch trade
unions. Participation is additionally a core principle of human rights and is
additionally a condition for effective democratic citizenship for all people.
Participation is one among the guiding principles of the
Convention on the Rights of the kid . This treaty says that children (all
people below the age of eighteen years) have the proper to possess their voice
heard when adults are making decisions that affect them, and their views should
tend due weight in accordance with the child's age and maturity. they need the
proper to precise themselves freely and to receive and share information. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. The
Convention recognises the potential of youngsters to influence deciding
relevant to them, to share views and, thus, to participate as citizens and
actors of change.
Without the complete spectrum of human rights, participation
becomes difficult if not impossible to access. Poor health, low levels of
education, restrictions on freedom of expression, poverty, and so on, all
impact on our ability to require part within the processes and structures which
affect us and our rights. Equally, without participation, many human rights are
difficult to access. it's participation through which we will build a society
supported human rights, develop social cohesion, make our voice heard to
influence decision makers, achieve change, and eventually be the topic and not
the thing of our own lives.
Much discussion concerning citizenship is concentrated on
the matter of accelerating citizens' involvement and participation within the
processes of democratic society. it's being increasingly realised that periodic
voting by citizens is insufficient, either in terms of creating those that
govern within the interim period fully accountable or in promoting feelings of
empowerment among ordinary citizens. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. Furthermore, low voting turnouts indicate
levels of political apathy among the population, which seriously undermines the
effective functioning of democracy.
A second set of issues concerns the question of these
individuals who don't , for one reason or another, receive the complete
benefits of citizenship. One aspect of this is often a results of continuing
patterns of discrimination within societies: minority groups may fairly often
have formal citizenship of the country during which they're living but should
be prevented from full participation therein society.
A second aspect of the matter may be a consequence of
accelerating globalisation, including new patterns of labor and migration,
which results in a big number of individuals throughout the planet being resident
abroad but unable to use for formal citizenship. Such people may include
immigrant workers, refugees, temporary residents or maybe those that have
decided to line up permanent residence in another country.
A third aspect is that the issue of statelessness. Although
the proper to a nationality may be a right guaranteed by international human
rights law, there are many people worldwide who aren't nationals of any
country. The UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, estimates that there
have been 12 million stateless people at the top of 2010. Statelessness is
usually the results of the break-up of nations like the Soviet Union or
Yugoslavia, but stateless people can also include displaced persons, expelled
migrants, and people whose birth has not been registered with the authorities.
Participation of the citizens in their government is assumed
to be the cornerstone of democracy, and it can happen through different
mechanisms and forms, and at various levels. Several models of participation
are developed, the earliest and doubtless the foremost well-known being Sherry
Arnstein's ladder of participation (1969).
Arnstein identified eight levels of participation, each like
one rung of the ladder, with little or no citizen participation at one end to a
totally citizen-led form at the opposite . the upper you're on the ladder, the
more power you've got in determining the result . rock bottom two rungs –
manipulation and therapy – aren't participative and will be avoided. subsequent
three up – informing, consultation and placation – are tokenistic; they permit
citizens to possess a voice and be heard, but their views might not be properly
considered by those in power. the ultimate three steps – partnership, delegated
power and citizen control – constitute real citizen power and therefore the
fullest sort of citizen participation.
Arnstein's model was further developed by Roger Hart and
adapted to the difficulty of youngsters and youth participation. Hart stated
that participation may be a fundamental right of citizenship7, because this is
often the thanks to learn what being a citizen means and the way to be one.
Youth participation also can be seen as a sort of a youth-adult partnership.
Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. There are different degrees to which youth are often involved or take over the
responsibility, counting on the local situation, resources, needs and level of
experience. Hart's ladder of participation illustrates different degrees of
involvement of youngsters and children in projects, organisations or
communities. These are the eight levels of youth involvement:
There are some ways during which children play a lively role
as citizens of their societies. In 2011, a survey of children aged between 15
and 30 living in EU member states was conducted to seek out out how young EU citizens
are participating in society. It focused on their participation in
organisations (e.g. sports clubs, voluntary organisations), political
elections, voluntary activities and projects fostering co-operation with
children in other countries.
Youth policies should promote the participation of children
within the various spheres of society, especially people who are most directly
relevant to them. Trace the development of the concept of citizenship. This includes support for youth organisations, setting youth
platforms or consultative bodies, recognising the role of students' councils
and students' unions within the management of faculties , and so on.
Youth policies should be developed, implemented and
evaluated with children , namely through ways in which take under consideration
the priorities, perspectives and interests of children and involve them within
the process. this might be done through youth councils and fora (national,
regional or local) or/and through other ways of consulting children , including
sorts of e-participation.
Youth policies and programmes should encourage
participant-centred approaches to learning and action, like in human rights
education, through which participants exert and learn participation and
citizenship.