Routledge Citizenship: Identity, Institutions, and the Postmodern Challenge

In stark contrast to previous scholarship about citizenship as a construct, this groundbreaking book covers the full spectrum of literature on citizenship theory, including the state and structure of identity, the individual and the public, and the enduring issues of civic engagement and collective discourse. It examines some of the complex challenges faced by citizens and policy makers and explores the existing procedural and institutional mechanisms that undermine democratic political accountability as well as its legitimation. Drawing from classical conceptions of citizenship in the early Greco-Roman eras to the more contemporary critical social theory and postmodernist contentions, the work casts a wide net that covers complex issues including rights and obligation, the doctrine of state sovereignty and authority, equality, the principle of majority rule, citizen participation in governance, public versus self-interest, ideas of justice, immigration and cultural identity, global citizenship, and the evolution of hybrid communities that challenge traditional notions of state-citizenship identity. With meticulous detail and powerful analysis, author Kalu N. Kalu unceasingly places citizenship as the central thesis of this project, illuminating its intellectual richness on the one hand, and demonstrating the ongoing challenges in both conceptualization and practice, on the other. Review "This book provides a thoughtful approach to citizenship grounded in both classical and contemporary political science, making it a sound foundation for students becoming familiar with literature on citizenship." –Arthur Sementelli, Florida Atlantic University, USA "Following a concise summary of classical conceptions of citizenship, [Kalu] addresses normative citizenship in the liberal state as an equality-based legal status versus instrumental citizenship, where economic and political status often produce inequality… Kalu presents a dark view of current migration and immigration. Although many become citizens, they do so more for the benefits than because of any common identity, which may eventually undermine national identity and sovereignty." –E. R. Gill, Bradley University (CHOICE Magazine Recommended Review) About the Author Kalu N. Kalu is Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science & National Security Policy at Auburn University Montgomery, USA and Docent Professor at the University of Tampere, Finland.