Citizen and Citizenship

The Origin of the Concept

• In ancient Greece citizen means a person who lives in a town or
city.
• In ancient states people and state had a weak relationship.
• The people needed little protection from the state and the state
gained little from the people.
• But as society developed and the population increased people
needed more protection from the state and this consolidated the
relation between the state and people.
• The link between the people and the state is called citizenship.
 
 Con’
• A citizen is a person who has rights and privileges in a country
and who is also expected to render services and overcome
duties expected from him/her.
• A citizen is an individual who is a legally recognized member
of a state.
• Citizenship is the relationship that is legally established
between the state and an individual.
• It is the totality of rulers that could help a citizen get or loss
citizenship of a state.
 Con’t
• Citizenship creates bond between the individual and the
state of a certain country.
• This by implication makes the individuals identified as a
member of a state.
• This could then allow the member citizens to claim for
protection against any form of attack from internal and
external forces.
• Finally, citizenship makes individuals subordinate to the state.
 Con’t
• Nationals and citizens have slight difference in that a national is a
person who is citizen by birth in the country referred.
• But citizen could be a person who is either naturalized or born in
the country referred.
• Thus we can say a national is a citizen born in a specific country
but a citizen may not be a national.
• On the other hand, there is also a difference between citizen and
nationality.
• Nationality is commonly referred to a persons ethnic origin.
• But citizenship denotes the tie or relation of individuality and is
used to show how membership in a certain nation is established.
 Ways of acquiring citizenship
• A person acquires citizenship of a state in different ways.
I. Citizenship by birth
A. Jus Soli (the law (right) of the soil). According to this law all persons
that are born with in the territory of that state is granted the right
to get citizenship.
• However, this rule does not include children born to foreign
diplomats who represent the country they cam from.
• Thus this rule does not consider the origin of the parents of the
child.
• If a child is born within the soil of that state he/she will be granted
citizenship.
• Most of the developed states accept Jus Soli.
 Con’t
B. Jus Sanguinis (law (right) of the blood. Jus Sanguinis can be
divided into Jus Sanguinis paterni (father) and Jus Sanguinis
Materni (mother).
This mode of acquiring citizenship is very common in the
developing countries. Here a child can claim citizenship of
his/her parents.
 Citizenship by Naturalization
• Naturalization is a process of obtaining citizenship if the
person fulfils the political, legal and social matters which the
host country expects to be accomplished.
• There are certain factors that compel a
person to change his/her citizenship.
– When a person living in a certain territory becomes
transferred into a territory of another country.
– This could happen through annexation by force – merger
of one state with another state
– Cessation purchase arrangements made by two countries
 Con’t
• Marriage to a foreigner. Until 1930, a woman who married a
foreigner was forced to loose her own citizenship and get
citizenship of her husband’s country.
• When the government of a country freely grants citizenship
to foreigners living in the country or abroad example DV
• Emigration – when a person emigrates due to political, social
or economic reason,
 Dual citizenship (mixed system)

• A person sometimes may have double citizenship due to the

existence of different laws of citizenship.
• A person may have one citizenship because of his birth place
(Jus Soli) and another citizenship because of his/her parents
citizenship by blood (Jus Sanguinis).
• some people have dual citizenship as a result of
naturalization in foreign state and if the state of the state of
the individual refuse to allow the individual to go abroad the
situation is called indelible which means that can not be
removed.
Statelessness
• Statelessness is a condition in which a person fails to have
nationality or citizenship. There are two types of statelessness
that is defacto and dejure statelessness
– Defacto statelessness refers to persons who have
nationality but do not get protection from their state when
they are out of their country. These are people who are
displaced from their home country for political, economic or
social reasons and sheltered in another country.
– Dejure statelessness – Such kind of statelessness is caused
when people are made to loose their citizenship by their
own government for different reasons.
Modes of loosing citizenship
1. Renunciation (Expatriation). The United Nations Declaration of
Human Rights of 1948 which has a preamble and 30 articles
provides in its article 15 sub article citizenship the right to the
individual to renounce his/her citizenship and seek citizenship of
some other state according to his/her choice
2. Deprivation – a person who is found guilty of committing serious
crimes against the state may be deprived of his/her citizenship.
Some of the crimes could be
– to make access national secrets to alien country
– to collaborate with the enemy force in time of war
– to carry out diplomatic, economic, political and military
intelligence to another state within his/her state.
 Con’t
3. Substitution – citizenship may be lost when a person’s original
citizenship is substituted by another state, which he acquires
through naturalization on the other side, this may also
happen when a particular territory is annexed by another
state. In such cases the citizenship of the conquered people
will be replaced by the citizenship of the subjugator.
4. Lapse – citizenship may be lost if the person stays outside of
his/her country for a long and continues period – example, if
an Indian citizen stays out of India continuously for more than
seven years, the person will loose his/her Indian citizenship
by the principle of lapse.
 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

• Rights
 Getting protection that is to get his/her life and
property protected by the state
 Getting the necessary social services that is having
access to health, education, water, electricity,
housing and other facilities
 Right to work in his/her own country (facilitate the
working situations)
 Right to elect and be elected
Responsibilities
 Take part in the political, economic and social activities
 Respect the rights of other people
 Protect the country from any kind of threat or attack
 Bear duties in times of advertise
 Respect the laws and rules that govern the country
 Preserve historic and cultural heritages of the country
 Pay taxes
 Accept and appreciate the views, beliefs and arguments of
other people (open mindedness)
 Be good citizen free from addition of any kind
 Follow up what the government is doing or intends to do
 Citizenship and Civic knowledge
• Civic dispositions and civic commitments are two important
characteristics required from citizens in a democratic society.
1. Civic dispositions/character – refers to habits or characters of
citizens that are conducive or helpful to the healthy functioning
and common good of a democratic system.
• Civility – Civility is a polite way of acting or behaving towards
others. It is the need to respect others. Civility includes respect
and politeness to those with whom one may disagree.
• Self Discipline – acting and behaving according to
some acceptable standards without external controls
and impositions
 Con’t
• Individual responsibility – fulfilling duties or
obligations of citizenship. As we would like to demand
and enjoy our rights and benefits
• Civic mindedness – It is citizens’ readiness and desire
to give concern to public interest.
• Civic mindedness is a commitment to give priority to
the common good than to our private interest.
• It is unselfish behavior that enables us to do good
and make sacrifice ourselves to the society and to our
nation
 Con’t
• Open mindedness – It refers to our willingness to
listen to the ideas, views and arguments of others.
• It is the tolerance we show to carefully examine what
others say or suggest.
• Compromise – It is one form of behavior that should
be observed in settling conflicts peacefully.
• It involves the readiness and willingness to spare
something on both sides of the conflict in favor of the
peaceful resolution of the problem and its outcome.
 Con’t
• Tolerance – it is the ability and willingness to accommodate
differences in ideas, out looks, views etc. tolerance is the
heart of peaceful co – existence in diversity.
• The first important step in tolerance is to positively accept
diversity itself as it is.
• Honesty – It is the behavior and attitude of not telling and not
accepting lies. It is a habit of not cheating or stealing. Honesty
is being free from corruption and dishonesty.
 Con’t
• Patriotism – Patriotism is one of the most valuable
responsibilities expected from competent and responsible
citizens.
– Attributes/qualities of patriotism
– Constitutional patriotism
– Tolerance and the culture of peace
– Respect for national symbols and a search for true history
– Safeguarding the country’s security
- Keeping state’s secrets
 Con’t
2. Civic commitment is an active participation of citizens for
their personal as well as the common good in a democracy.
• It is the expressed devotion of citizens for the
implementation of the fundamental principles of
democracy.
• In a democracy the political authority resides in the people
that is democracy is the self governance of people.
• This it requires an active participation of citizens in their own
affairs.
 
Ethics of Citizens
• Morality is a system of principle and standards of right and
wrong in human behavior.
• Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with what is good
or bad, and with moral duties and obligations.
• Ethics is treating of moral feelings, duties or conduct.
• It is also related to conforming to professional standards of
conduct.
• For instance, helping a person in need of assistance, helping
the weak, the elders, persons with disabilities etc.
 Con’t
• Good citizens maintain the moral and ethical values of their
society.
• Moral obligations are requirements that specify what acts are
permitted or forbidden without references to the
consequences of performing or omitting the act.
Professional Ethics
 professionals need to have work ethics so as to
execute their duties effectively and responsibly.
 Professional ethics would help them establish certain
rules and procedures.
 Con’t
• Nevertheless, all professions do not have the same set of values
and standards in absolute terms.
• The following are some of the common standards.
– Punctuality: punctuality is an important value to all workers
– Respecting one’s job and work industriously
– Properly utilizing equipment and resources
– Established harmonious relation and work cooperatively with
fellow workers
– Developing one’s skill to do work effectively
– Voluntary absenteeism (absence without reporting and
having permission)
Morality
• Morality – emphasizes on conforming to a standard of right
behavior.
• Moral values and standards define personal decisions and
actions as good or evil, moral or immoral.
• Thus, morality involves a normative judgment that is, it
indicates what we ought to do and should not do.
 Con’t
• The operation of moral values can be explained in two
important levels that is personal (individual) and the social
(group level).
• The distinction into the individual and social levels is crucial,
because morality consists of judgments, beliefs and values
that may have a degree of variation from person to person
as well as from group to group.
• The common sense judgment of the individual is influenced
by the social interactions starting from the family, village,
and schools to the wider members of the society.
 Con’t
• At the social level of sanctioning moral principles and
standards, out of customary and conventional practices a
specific society determines certain acts as good and right and
others as evil and wrong.
• Besides cultural and traditional values, other factors like
religious beliefs and thoughts also influence moral principles.
• As a result, morality is a relative and culture – specific
phenomenon.
• This is because what is good in one society may be
considered bad and improper in another society.
Global citizenship
 In many respects, global citizenship is different from your being a citizen to
a certain country. Firstly you do not have to be born to a country. There is
no physical or political boundary to it. Secondly your responsibilities and
duties as a global citizen are quite flexible and fluid. For example as a global
citizen:
• You do not pay tax
• You do not have military obligation
• You are not required to acquire nationality to enjoy benefits and assume
responsibility
• There is no unified political space, symbol and interest that you are
associated with
• There is a remarkable diversity and multiplicity of citizenship
•  
 Con’t
o A Global citizen is:
 Aware of the wider world and has a sense of his/her own role,
 Respects and values diversity. He/she should have a deeper
understanding of different cultures and peoples
 Is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and
sustainable place
 Takes responsibility for his or her actions
Key elements for responsible Global citizenship

A. Knowledge and understanding

• As a global citizen, you need to develop an adequate
understanding of
– Social justice and equity
– Globalization and interdependence
– Diversity
– Peace and conflict
– Sustainable development
B. Skills
• Critical thinking
• Ability to challenge injustice and inequalities
• Respect for people and things
• Co-operation and conflict resolution
C. Values and Attitudes
• Sense of identity and self esteem
• Empathy/Understanding /
• Commitment to social justice and equity
• Value and respect for diversity
• Concern for the environment and commitment to sustainable development.
• Belief that people can make a difference