Co-Sponsored with the Center for European and Russian Studies and the Thomas Mann House. 

Abstract: An individual’s affiliation with a politically constituted community is decisive for his or her opportunities in life and often vital to his or her survival. This paper argues that citizenship was the primary signifier of political affiliation in 20th century Europe, with decisive consequences for the justification and distribution of life chances.  Furthermore, the centrality of citizenship is what fundamentally distinguishes the 20th century from previous historical periods and other forms of political affiliation. This hypothesis will be tested by drawing upon and comparing citizenship with a number of other categories of 20th century political affiliation: namely, religious affiliation, political party affiliation, ethnic and nation-state affiliation, and, finally, social class. The paper will demonstrate that even the present processes of transnationalization, Europeanization and globalization generate only gradual, non-essential changes to the preeminence of citizenship, as the goals of delineating political membership and distinguishing it from non-membership remain the primary functions of the state.

Please email duranasaydee@ucla.edu for the zoom link.

Sponsor(s): Center for Study of International Migration