The Political Dimensions of Citizenship, Nation, and State

Political Dimensions of Citizenship

Citizenship is the way citizens relate to the state. A defining characteristic of this relationship is the inclusion of citizens in the political community. This integration necessarily involves a series of rights and duties that govern the relationship between the citizen and the state. These embody the rights of individuals, which the state must recognize, guarantee, and protect, as well as the duties and obligations of citizens.

Citizenship has an essential political dimension, as political organization is structured around these rights and duties. Through our rights and duties, we relate to society.

The Dual Meanings of a Nation

The term nation can refer to communities integrated within a geographical area by customs and cultural traditions, but which are not organized as political associations. This expresses an ethical-moral meaning. The nation then ceases to be merely a community of cultural tradition and descent and becomes a nation of citizens. It expresses a common political will and now has a political and legal dimension.

The Two Faces of a Nation

A nation has two faces:

• The ethnic nation, which expresses the heartfelt identity of a people, a community of language, or a shared history.
• The civic nation, which is the political association of free and equal individuals. This association is based on a shared political will, rather than just love and passion for the ethnic nation.

Modern Concepts of Citizenship

Modern citizenship is defined by the adaptation of rights according to the group, including polyethnic, representation, or self-government rights. There are three main types:

• Special representation rights: Ensuring representation for minority groups.
• Polyethnic rights: Protecting the cultural practices of ethnic groups.
• Self-government rights: The delegation of powers to national minorities.

This leads to three distinct classes of citizenship:

• Citizenship that integrates and recognizes group representation rights.
• Citizenship that includes claims for polyethnic rights.
• Citizenship that involves self-government.

The Role of Safety in the Origin of Society

The origin of society is also found in the search for preservation and safety—of life, property, and possessions—and the hypothetical freedom we possess in the state of nature. In a state of "war of all against all," the conditions that make coexistence possible and viable are completely missing.

Therefore, human beings are obliged to enter into a society and form a state to safeguard the life, property, and freedom of everyone. This is driven by the desire to leave the miserable condition of war, which is a necessary consequence of the natural passions of men when there is no visible power to hold them in check.

Societal Origins and the Satisfaction of Needs

Another perspective on the origin of society is the inherent need of human beings to satisfy their needs. According to Aristotle, the family community grows into the social and political community. This forms what we refer to as civil society and the political society, or the State.