The Condition of Citizenship

The idea of citizenship can be seen as a unifying element in understanding contemporary social change and social problems: in The Condition of Citizenship, Bart Van Steenbergen presents and discusses various illustrations of this theme. Outlining the traditional linkages between citizenship and public participation as well as national identity and social welfare, the book shows the relevance of citizenship for a range of current issues extending from global change through gender to the environment. The areas investigated include: the challenge of internationalization to the nation state and to national identities; the contested nature of citizenship in relation to poverty, work and welfare; the implications of gender inequality; and the potential for new conceptions of citizenship in response to cultural and political change. Reappraising the roots of citizenship and relating it to contemporary social issues, this work will be essential reading for students of sociology, political science, social policy and related fields. "The organizers of the conference from which this book arose and its editor are to be congratulated for a collection of essays which, individually and as a whole, are scholarly and to the point in their tackling of important issues." --Journal of Public Policy