Introduction: Citizenship in Global Perspective

Citizenship holds a significant place in the global framework, being defined as the full and equal membership of a political community. In today’s contemporary world, states play a pivotal role in shaping the identity of their citizens by providing them with a collective political identity and bestowing upon them certain unalienable rights. This identity is deeply ingrained in individuals, whether one identifies as Indian, Japanese, or German, it is fundamentally tied to the state they belong to. 

Citizen and State: Expectations, Obligations, and the Inheritance of Culture and Resources

• Citizenship Expectations: Citizenship identity comes with an inherent expectation of citizens from their state. The expectations are as follows:
  • Citizens anticipate receiving rights from their state and
  • Citizens also seek State protection, no matter where they may travel. 
• Obligations and Responsibilities: However, citizenship is also about citizen-citizen relations and citizen-society relations, as it involves certain obligations (political and moral) of citizens to each other and to society. 
• Inheritors of Resources: Apart from that, citizens are also considered to be the inheritors and trustees of the culture and natural resources of the country.

Journey to Citizenship: From Monarchies to Modern Struggles

• These rights enjoyed by citizens have been acquired after various struggles.
  • Early struggles were against powerful monarchies, like the French Revolution in 1789.
  • In the recent past, in Asian and African colonies also, demands for equal citizenship were part of their independence struggles. 
    • For example, in South Africa, black Africans fought for equal citizenship against the ruling white minority till the 1990s.
• The struggles for full membership and equal rights are still going on in many parts globally. 
  • Women’s movement and Dalit movements in India etc.

Understanding Full And Equal Membership: The Dynamics of Insiders and Outsiders

• Insiders and Outsiders Division: If you have ever traveled in a crowded railway compartment, you will be familiar with the way in which those who may have earlier fought each other to enter, once inside, discover a shared interest in keeping others out. 
  • A division soon develops between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’, with ‘outsiders’ being seen as a threat.

Comparing Crowded Spaces to Citizenship: Insights into Division, Resources, and the Right to Movement

Interpreting Full and Equal Membership: Basic Rights, Movement, and Challenges in a Diverse Society

• Basic Rights and Protection: In simple words, full and equal membership means each and every citizen of the State should be granted certain basic rights along with appropriate mechanisms to ensure its protection. 
• Right to Freedom of Movement: The concept of “Full and Equal Membership” delves deeply into the right to freedom of movement. 
• • This right is particularly significant for the working populace.
• Migrant Workers and Urban Centers: In the absence of job opportunities proximal to their residences, labor tends to migrate. 
• • For example, migrant workers from the northern influx into some big cities like Mumbai, Bangalore etc.
• Challenges of Influx: Conversely, when local residents discern an overwhelming number of outsiders availing of local job opportunities, it often culminates in resistance. 
• Regional Job Restrictions: Such dynamics lead to demands for job restrictions based on regional belonging or linguistic proficiency.
• Universal Migration Rights: This raises the question of whether poor and unskilled workers should have the same right to live and work anywhere in the country as skilled workers. 

• Handling Right to Movement: Balancing the Right to Movement with Article 19 and Democratic Principles
  • Article 19: The Indian Constitution under Article 19 guarantees the freedom of expression, encompassing the right to protest (in the above context, local people protest against migrant workers).
    •  It also contains the right to freedom of movement and residence (in the above context, migrant workers influx in big cities).
  • Guiding Principle: If the guiding principle of providing full and equal membership to all citizens is kept in mind, it should be possible to arrive at an acceptable solution to the above problems that may arise from time to time in a society. 
  • Negotiation and Discussion: A basic principle of democracy is that such disputes should be settled by negotiation and discussion rather than force.
    • This is one of the obligations of citizenship.