Citizenship: A Very Short Introduction

Richard Bellamy

Sep 2008 · OUP Oxford

About this ebook

Interest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen of a modern, complex community? Why is citizenship important? Can we create citizenship, and can we test for it? In this fascinating Very Short Introduction, Richard Bellamy explores the answers to these questions and more in a clear and accessible way. He approaches the subject from a political perspective, to address the complexities behind the major topical issues. Discussing the main models of citizenship, exploring how ideas of citizenship have changed through time from ancient Greece to the present, and examining notions of rights and democracy, he reveals the irreducibly political nature of citizenship today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Ratings and reviews

The problem of citizenship is as old as politics itself, since it deals with the most fundamental political question: who gets to participate in politics and to what extent. In fact, as this book shows, citizenship existed in many forms even before politics as we think of it did, and will likely outlive it. Richard Bellamy takes us through history of what citizenship meant in different cultures, and how different models of citizenship dominated under different political arrangements. He draws a distinction between ancient Greek participatory citizenship, in which all able-bodied citizens of the city-state were expected to participate in political affairs, and a more legal citizenship that was the predominant form in Roman state. In a more modern context, Bellamy does not advocate the dissemination and abandonment of nation-states, but recognizes their importance for the sake competitiveness between different political arrangements. He also stresses the importance of democracy for the development of proper civic sense on the part of citizens, and dismisses cynic who have been denouncing the merits of democracy, however imperfect it may be, for the sake of the healthy sense of citizenship. Overall, this is a well-written account of the meaning of citizenship, past and present. It provides a new way of thinking about the subject and challenges several preconceived notions about what are the essential ingredients in making of a good citizen.

About the author

Richard Bellamy is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the School of Public Policy at University College, London. He has written 6 monographs to date, edited or co-edited a further 20 volumes and is the author of over a 100 journal articles and book chapters. His main books include Modern Italian Social Theory: Ideology and Politics from Pareto to the Present; Liberalism and Modern Society: An Historical Argument; Liberalism and Pluralism: Towards a Politics of Compromise and, as co-editor, Constitutionalism in Transformation: European and Theoretical Perspectives. He regularly appears on TV and radio, and has written for newspapers including The Guardian and The Times Literary Supplement.