This article deals with the concept of citizenship in the contemporary landscape, illustrating how the process of globalisation (with the growing importance of international interdependency) and the acceleration in the human mobility (with the rise of the number of international migrants) has obliged national States to rethink to this “nationalistic” institution. After describing the different meanings and dimensions of citizenship (an instrument that guarantees the access to civil, political and social rights, but also a source of collective identification and a means of participation), it describes the main “solutions” proposed by the contemporary literature about the problem of migrants’ inclusion. Besides the reform of the criteria for obtaining the citizenship of the destination country, new “types” of citizenship have been introduced or proposed, such as the denizenship, the supranational citizenship, and the post-national citizenship. Some other solutions try to satisfy specific needs of the population with a migratory background, such as the need to be recognized special (ethnic) rights (according to the multicultural citizenship perspective) and to maintain material and symbolic links with the sending country (according to the transnational citizenship perspective). Finally, the Author highlights the need to approach this issue not only in a “technical” or ideological way, but taking into account the deep significance of citizenship, suggesting specific educational interventions addressed to migrant communities and inviting the whole society to use immigration as an opportunity to rethink to this institution.
Il saggio illustra come il processo di globalizzazione (con la crescente rilevanza delle interdipendenze a livello internazionale) e l’accelerazione della mobilità umana (con l’aumento del numero dei migranti internazionali) hanno obbligato gli Stati nazionali a ripensare a un istituto “nazionalistico” qual è la cittadinanza. Dopo aver descritto i differenti significati e dimensioni della cittadinanza – uno strumento che garantisce l’accesso ai diritti civili, politici e sociali, ma anche una fonte di identificazione collettiva e un mezzo di partecipazione –, il saggio descrive le principali “soluzioni” proposte in letteratura per risolvere il problema dell’inclusione dei migranti stranieri. Oltre alla riforma dei criteri per l’ottenimento della cittadinanza del paese d’immigrazione, nuovi “tipi” di cittadinanza sono stati introdotti o proposti con l’intento di risolvere i limiti di un istituto nazionale nello scenario di un mondo sempre più “globale”: dalla denizenship alla cittadinanza sopranazionale, fino a quella post-nazionale. Ulteriori soluzioni prospettate mirano, a loro volta, a soddisfare bisogni specifici della popolazione con un retroterra migratorio, quali il bisogno di vedersi riconosciuti diritti speciali – o “etnici” –, in coerenza con la prospettiva della cittadinanza multiculturale, o quello di mantenere in vita il legame materiale e simbolico col paese d’origine, secondo quella della cittadinanza transnazionale. Infine, l’articolo sottolinea la necessità di andare oltre gli approcci meramente procedurali o ideologici, prendendo in considerazione il significato profondo della cittadinanza e suggerendo l’opportunità di investire in azioni di tipo educativo rivolte alle comunità immigrate (ma non solo a loro), sollecitando al contempo il complesso della società a fare dell’immigrazione un’occasione per ripensare a questo fondamentale istituto.
Zanfrini, L., Lo scenario contemporaneo: ripensare la cittadinanza nella società globale, <<STUDI EMIGRAZIONE>>, 2013; L (189): 30-51 [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/41347]
Lo scenario contemporaneo: ripensare la cittadinanza nella società globale
Zanfrini, Laura
2013
Abstract
This article deals with the concept of citizenship in the contemporary landscape, illustrating how the process of globalisation (with the growing importance of international interdependency) and the acceleration in the human mobility (with the rise of the number of international migrants) has obliged national States to rethink to this “nationalistic” institution. After describing the different meanings and dimensions of citizenship (an instrument that guarantees the access to civil, political and social rights, but also a source of collective identification and a means of participation), it describes the main “solutions” proposed by the contemporary literature about the problem of migrants’ inclusion. Besides the reform of the criteria for obtaining the citizenship of the destination country, new “types” of citizenship have been introduced or proposed, such as the denizenship, the supranational citizenship, and the post-national citizenship. Some other solutions try to satisfy specific needs of the population with a migratory background, such as the need to be recognized special (ethnic) rights (according to the multicultural citizenship perspective) and to maintain material and symbolic links with the sending country (according to the transnational citizenship perspective). Finally, the Author highlights the need to approach this issue not only in a “technical” or ideological way, but taking into account the deep significance of citizenship, suggesting specific educational interventions addressed to migrant communities and inviting the whole society to use immigration as an opportunity to rethink to this institution.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.