The one force that drives modernity most inescapably is globalization. As a result, the nation-states’ political and economic power, as well as their political imperatives, were weakened. Globalization thus prevails in this world over free will, citizenship, and nation-states, as the latter is no longer relevant. Concepts like citizenship, which up until recently were intimately tied to the idea of the nation-state, have become challenging to understand as a result of the all-pervasive effects of globalization. Globalization led to a reimagining of the concept of citizenship in the context of modern developments.
From people having rights or advantages inside the bounds of a territorial nation-governance, the state’s idea of citizenship in the contemporary era has undergone a drastic transformation. Therefore, the idea of justice and independence from authority and compulsion derives from it. Thus, the secular nation-state, which was a notion of a political community that was geographically constrained, served as the context against which the contemporary concept of citizenship could be traced. Consequently, this concept was opposed to ideas like religion or ethnicity. Modern ideas of citizenship grant full participation in this political society as well as duty and obligation to this nation-state.
This notion of citizenship exemplifies the nationalistic exclusivity of citizenship. The liberal democratic conception of citizenship, on the other hand, is more of an idea that promotes political solidarity. As a result, unlike the definition of citizenship based on geography, which is exclusive, this definition of citizenship is more open to all and inclusive. The conventional idea of citizenship, dependent on a person’s legal standing or administrative classification, contradicts the emerging notion of the global citizen, transcending the boundaries of nation-states. The key argument is that globalization has advanced the idea of citizenship beyond the conventional, geographically constrained identity of the nation-state while still respecting its obligations to the global community.
With its origins in the Greek tradition, citizenship is one of the oldest political ideas in Western political theory. This idea originated in Aristotle’s philosophy, which stressed the importance of civic participation in ensuring one’s legal and social standing. The primary goal of the Greek conception of citizenship was to guarantee that everyone had an equal opportunity to participate in the polis and military activity. Due to their local, particularistic, and political nature, citizens held certain rights. Because of the rising globalization and multiculturalism, this idea of citizenship has come under criticism. There was a need for a new definition of citizenship that would permit the coexistence of many cultures inside the nation-territorial state’s limits. Thus, there is a rising desire to institutionalize organizations that do not belong to a specific physical region under this idea of citizenship.
The power of the nation-state and citizenship have both decreased as a result of globalization. Nationalistic sentiments, state loyalty, and territoriality are on the decline in this area, while nationalism and local identity have suffered as a result of globalization. Citizenship is developed in democratic countries via rights and duties, one of which is the selection of a public representative to serve in government. The notion of politics and the state, however, has become non-territorial due to globalization, which has eroded the feeling of national identity. Due to the effect of globalization, which aimed to lessen political differences, the necessity to elect a government was lowered, which diminished the role of the people. As a result, the idea of citizenship, which was primarily concerned with involvement in secular territorial nations, began to wane.
When the idea of territorial citizenship was abandoned, relationships between individuals in the global community became more complex along racial and religious lines, which ultimately fueled the growth of separatist movements on these lines. Globalization has also spawned chauvinistic and xenophobic nationalist ideologies, which are examples of intolerance. Additionally, when the government broke its promise, and the people retaliated violently, there was an uptick in revolutions in Third World nations. This gave rise to the notion that Westernization was a hegemonic Western goal. Modernization is therefore viewed negatively anytime Western influence is evident, even though it is generally seen as favorable. Consequently, it caused the value of the concept of citizenship to decline.
Regionalization and localism have reinforced the political and cultural layer, while, on the other hand, globalization has diminished the nation-state’s influence in defining the notion of citizenship. However, it also strengthened diversity, which made it more important to express the concerns of social groups with diverse identities. Due to the deterioration of economic and sovereign regulation, which has put the notion of citizenship in a paradoxical situation, it is necessary to broaden and reinforce the concept of citizenship. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that the fundamental principle of citizenship is that it is an inclusive philosophy that grants everyone the right to participate.
It also makes sense to advocate for deregulation, citizenship extension, and protection in new political arenas like the European Union. One explanation for this is that a clearer distinction is being made between citizens and non-citizens, with the latter group being refused social support due to a rising xenophobic concern of having few job options. Therefore, globalization should consider the ability that regional and international organizations now have to find more inclusive policies.
Overall, the idea of citizenship has changed across a variety of contexts. As a national-state-related notion, citizenship has undergone modifications as a result of globalization. Territoriality and nationalist citizenship ideas are lost in the context of contemporary globalization. However this led to the concepts of religion, place, and ethnicity, which sparked important discussions about personal identity in a heterogeneous society.
While preserving its essential principles of equality and representation, citizenship as a political idea has to develop. In light of the breaching of national boundaries brought on by the advent of globalization, the ideology of nation-state membership has to be modified. To be able to accept others and accumulate them in a global civil society, transnational social forces have underlined the need to broaden the notion of citizenship and make it more tolerant and inclusive. As a result, citizenship lost its position as a political right and was changed into a human and individual right.
References
Castles, Stephen, and Alastair Davidson. Citizenship and migration: Globalization and the politics of belonging. Routledge, 2020.
Lazier, Benjamin. “Earthrise; or, the globalization of the world picture.” The American Historical Review 116, no. 3 (2011): 602-630.
Michael Geyer, Charles Bright, “World History in a Global Age” The American Historical Review 100, no. 4 (1995): 1034-1060.