Citizenship: Rights, Duties, and Historical Evolution
Understanding Citizenship: Rights, Duties, and Evolution
A citizen is a person who has rights and the ability to exercise them. Politicians and citizens can possess a differentiated legal status that implies:
- Being part of a community of equals, regardless of their religion, gender, or culture.
- Participating in making decisions that affect everyone’s possibility of participation. This is only produced in democratic political systems.
- Participating in a common project of living according to an ideal of civic conduct. Although conflict situations may arise, the relationship with others must be determined by dialogue and cooperation.
- Citizenship is the consciousness of living in a shared world despite our differences. Citizenship is only possible when there is a sense of status, an order to which the individual expresses loyalty.
Cosmopolitan Citizenship
The concept of cosmopolitan citizenship involves considering all human members as equal and worthy, deserving to share the same rights and duties. It is based on two principles:
- We have obligations that extend beyond those to whom kinship ties bind us, even beyond the more formal ties of shared citizenship.
- We must take seriously the value not only of human life but also of particular human lives, which implies taking an interest in the experiences and beliefs that give them meaning. Cosmopolitanism recognizes the diversity of life forms and is interested in them.
Civic values that humanize the world are:
- Freedom: Liberty as participation, freedom and independence, freedom and autonomy (freedom to set their own laws).
- Gender Equality: Equality before the law, equal opportunity, equal respect for welfare, and human dignity.
- Active Respect: There is a concern for the beliefs and projects of others.
- Solidarity: Both group solidarity (which has no moral value if it is between members of the Mafia) and universal solidarity, which is selflessly trying to help another.
- Dialogue: It is opposed to violence and serves to find common ground between different viewpoints.
Historical Evolution of Citizenship
Sparta
Spartan citizens were the military elite. As citizens, they had the right to own land that was worked by public slaves. Citizenship was inconsistent with manual work. This elite enjoyed their rights, the opportunity to participate in state government, and receive an education. Among their duties was the obligation to defend the city. Core values and duties that the Spartans extolled were sacrifice, bravery, compliance with laws, and participation.
Athens
Athens was the cradle of democracy. The condition of Athenian citizenship was characterized by equal liberty (expression) and participation (assembly).
Rome
Rome is divided into two stages:
- Republic: Only patricians enjoyed all the rights of citizenship. Formal equality was achieved. Among the duties was the obligation to pay taxes and join the army.
- Roman Empire: Semi-citizenship was introduced, which guaranteed the rights of individuals who did not fully qualify as citizens.
Middle Ages
The notion of citizenship was lost, and the citizen became a subject. There was no state, and therefore, no citizenship.
Renaissance
Privileges and inequalities existed. Citizenship was granted only to guild members, excluding farmers and others.
Absolute Monarchies
Citizenship, which had been linked to cities during the Renaissance, now had to extend to nation-states. Citizenship required the loyalty of citizens.
American and French Revolutions
With the national constitutions, the idea of U.S. citizenship emerged.