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Citizenship and Democracy Specialist Group

This Specialist Group is devoted to the study of citizenship from both empirical and normative perspectives, and focuses on democracy both in its broadest sense, and in relation to citizenship in particular.

The Specialist Group focuses on the following four themes and questions:

Practices of citizenship:

In what ways is citizenship as a form of membership undergoing change in the contemporary world? Do ‘trans-national citizenship’, ‘multiple citizenship’ and / or ‘global citizenship’ deserve the name? Is the role of national citizenship as a guarantor of a uniform bundle of rights and responsibilities, allied to a shared identity, in the process of disintegrating? If so, what is it being replaced with? What is the future for European Union citizenship? What does the phenomenon of mass migration imply for practices of citizenship? In what sense, and to what effect, can we speak of ‘environmental citizenship’ as practice?

Citizenship and participation:

Citizenship is often tied to an ideal of civic participation, but to what extent is there a necessary connection? Are contemporary concerns about the decline in civic participation and rise in political disenchantment justified? What are the causes of these trends and to what extent can (or should) they be reversed? Are we witnessing the emergence of opportunities for citizens to engage in new forms of civic and political activity, for example, through innovative information and communication technology? What are the implications of these developments? To what extent are meaningful opportunities for citizenly participation provided by trans-national and global organizations, or ‘global civil society’?

Citizenship as a normative ideal:

In what ways does the ideal of equal citizenship continue to provide a resource for the critique of contemporary inequalities? Is Marshall’s vision of social citizenship ill-suited to the contemporary world, or in need of defending? Should social rights now be seen as conditional on contribution to society? Do citizens have an unconditional right to a basic income? What are the relationship between citizenship, gender and sexuality? Should we see ourselves as ‘sexual citizens’? In what ways has the advent of multiculturalism, both in theory and practice, forced us to rethink our conception(s) of citizenship? Is the idea of environmental citizenship, linked to obligations of justice to protect the environment and help those for whom environmental degradation is having a disproportionate impact, intelligible?

Citizenship and education:

Where do we ‘learn’ how to be citizens? What is/should be the role of formal education – in particular schools and universities – in ‘teaching’ citizenship’? What other institutions shape our understanding of citizenship and democracy?

Activities:

1. providing a site for citizenship-related resources including recent publications, relevant websites, and teaching materials (not limited to academic research)
2. serving as a useful hub for work on teaching and learning about citizenship
3. maintaining an email service for members, providing details of forthcoming conferences, publications and so on – and, with regards to education, a method of publicising material on teaching and learning about citizenship
4. organising panels on citizenship and democracy at major conferences such as the PSA Annual Conference
5. organising regular workshops and seminars on themes relating to citizenship and democracy
6. organizing a larger conference roughly every two years.