Citizenship (June 2008)

For a long time citizenship was just another word in the dictionary; neutral and not occupying a significant space in political and socio-economic discourses. However, with the rise of the contemporary nation state, citizenship has acquired new significance; constructing who belongs and who doesn’t, and who has access to certain political and socio-economic rights and privileges.

With the increasing focus on electoral multi-party democracy and the development of human rights discourses, the term has become emotive and highly contentious socially and politically the world over. As such, the term has found a place in debates on civic and political rights, economic justice, gender and women’s rights, to list just a few. It has become a critical determinant of the extent to which one can enjoy certain rights, especially within the framework of a nation state. Issues of discrimination and entitlement to services and to political participation and other rights become important.

An audit on citizenship and discrimination conducted by the Open Society Justice Initiative in 2004, made an important observation that “the advent of multi-party democracy in many African states in the 1990s heightened the political significance of distinguishing citizens from non-citizens, and led to a marked increase in attempts to denationalise political opponents or even entire ethnic and social groups.” Because of this, and especially in Africa, citizenship has become a source of tensions, in some cases resulting in serious socio-political and ethno-political conflicts, some of which have led to disastrous wars and genocides.

Articles are available in pdf format [approximate file sizes in square brackets].

In this issue:

• Front matter [462KB]

• Editorial (by Alice Kanengoni) [61KB]

• Theory and status: the "hidden logics" of citizenship (by Julia Harrington) [140KB]

• Inclusive citizenship and identity and the prospects for peace and security in Africa (by Chidi Anselm Odinkalu) [144KB]

• Democracy, multiculturalism and the challenges of identity and nation-building (by Nicole Fritz) [174KB]

• Liberal democracy, political culture and identity issues in Africa (by Claude Kabemba) [166KB]

• Participatory citizenship, identity and inclusion (by Kumi Naidoo) [213KB]

• Citizenship legislation in Southern Africa (by Louise Olivier) [122KB]

• Citizenship and discrimination against ethnic minority groups in SADC (by Sami Modiba) [182KB]

• Immigrants' and refugees' challenges in Africa (by Undule DK Mwakasungula) [218KB]

• Citizenship rights and discrimination (by Alan Msosa) [162KB]

• Race and identity: the South African experience (by Zukiswa Wanner) [68KB]

• Language: the power to include some and exclude others (by Lazarus M Miti) [249KB]

• Constitution-making processes: the case of Zambia (by Patrick Matibini) [162KB]

• The Influence of ethnicity on electoral processes in Mozambique (by Carlos Shenga) [358KB]

• Africa unite!... (by L Muthoni Wanyeki) [143KB]

• Borderless Africa? (by Nume Mashinini) [108KB]

To order copies of the digest, please e-mail publications@osisa.org, or contact us on Johannesburg (011) 403-3414 (international code: +27-11).

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