Citizenship is a concept that enables a series of meanings that, in general, refer to everything related to rights and duties of a person or people in a territory.
Citizenship is the maximum expression of the right, as it exists for citizens, and can be divided into:
- political citizenship - guarantee of rights to political participation (voting, being voted, organizing in unions and social movements, etc.)
- citizenship - guarantee of rights related to freedom (freedom of expression, movement, belief and other individual freedoms)
- social citizenship - guarantee of rights related to the dignity of human life (respect for human rights, right to work, food, housing, leisure, health, education, etc.)
However, citizenship also means comply with laws and regulations that relate to life in society and the common good.
the concept of citizenship
The word "citizenship" comes from the Latin civitas, which means "City". Therefore, citizens are those who cohabit and share public spaces. For this, they have civil, political and social rights that develop from the idea of what is best for the social group.
It is important to note that citizenship is an ongoing and constantly changing (almost always cumulative) process. Power emanates from the people, who submit to the organization of the State so that it can guarantee its rights and the good of all.
For the effective right to citizenship, individuals must often meet certain requirements such as:
- Nationality - to have been born or be equivalent to those born in a certain territory. For example, in Brazil, all people born in Brazil or of Brazilian parents are considered citizens, the same happens with foreigners who apply for naturalization.
- Age - some rights and duties are according to the age of the citizen. For example, mandatory education from 4 to 17, the right to vote in elections at 16 years of age, and civil majority at 18.
- Comply with the law - those sentenced to prison have their political rights suspended and their rights to freedom are restricted.
As it is intrinsically linked to the notion of rights, citizenship, on the other hand, presupposes duties.
Examples of rights:
- health,
- education,
- home,
- work,
- social Security,
- leisure.
Examples of duties:
- compliance with laws,
- election of governors through mandatory voting,
- compulsory military service (in the case of men)
- tax payment.
We can also classify the rights of the citizen (TH. Marshall, 1950) as being of a civil nature, that is, those inherent to individual freedom, freedom of expression and of thought; the right to property and justice.
There are those of a political nature, such as the right to participate in the exercise of political power by electing and being elected. Finally, rights of a social nature, such as economic and social well-being.
Ideally, citizenship would be the full exercise of political, civil and social rights, in a complete participatory freedom in the social environment.
Citizenship in History
Despite the concept of citizenship being defined in classical Greece and ancient Rome, we can note the embryonic attributes in various societies of antiquity.
Just as citizenship has its origin in the Latin word civitas, which means city, for the Greeks the cities were the polis and gave rise to the word politics.
Anyway, in Athens the citizen practice started the democracy, political regime that favors political participation and citizenship.
It is important to point out that throughout Greece, as well as Athens, only free men and born in the city could be considered citizens (the minority of the population).
In this way, foreigners, slaves, children and women were excluded from the right to citizenship.
At the end of the 18th century, with the emergence of Modernity and the structuring of the Nation-State, the term "citizen" came to designate those who inhabited the city.
The growth of social movements, popular participation in public life and the creation of the Welfare State (welfare state), social rights become necessary attributes for citizenship.
Citizenship Questions
It is, therefore, evident that every City is in nature and that man is naturally made for political society. Those who, by their nature and not by chance, existed without any homeland would be an individual detestable, far above or far below man, according to Homer: A being without a home, without a family and without laws
(Aristotle, Politics)
1. In relation to citizenship, Aristotle's words allow us to state that:
a) it is possible to live outside society, without prejudice to the home, family and laws.
b) life in society and citizenship gives meaning to individuals in their relationship with the home, family and laws.
c) The home, family and laws are directly linked to the concept of citizenship as they allow individuals to live freely apart from society.
d) citizenship is the individual's way of becoming above or below other human beings.
Correct alternative: b) life in society and citizenship gives meaning to the relationship of individuals with their home, family and laws.
By defining human beings as political animals, Aristotle asserts that the city is prior to individuals.
Thus, it is the performance of this individual in the city, citizenship, it is the realization of their own nature.
For Aristotle, the individual who decided to live outside society would deny his own human nature, being compared to a wild animal or a god.
2. Civil citizenship, political citizenship and social citizenship are respectively related to:
a) rights to individual freedoms, political participation and the dignity of human life.
b) rights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of movement.
c) rights to religious freedom, to participate in electoral elections, to assume government positions.
d) rights to a decent life, to come and go and to vote and be voted.
Correct alternative: a) rights to individual freedoms, political participation and the dignity of human life.
As stated in the text, citizenships can be divided between: citizenship - guarantee of rights related to freedom; political citizenship - guarantee of rights to political participation; and social citizenship - guarantee of rights related to the dignity of human life.
3. These are constraints to citizenship, except:
a) the restriction to existing rights in society.
b) the institution of an authoritarian government that limits political participation.
c) unhealthy living conditions.
d) social movements and rights claims.
Correct alternative: d) social movements and claiming rights.
Social movements and the demand for rights represent an active citizenship linked to participation in the political life of society.
Other texts that can help you:
- Citizenship questions (with feedback)
- human rights and citizenship
- Social movements
