Bounded and global citizenship.

The concept of citizenship and its boundaries are contested, yet its plainest definition is to be a member of a political community, and possess legal rights and duties. Citizenship has many ideals – namely bounded and cosmopolitan –and their merits and downfalls in this essay shall be measured by the extent to which they permit the best use and protection of citizen’s rights. The normative arguments of Miller (2000:81-95) and Linklater (1998:23-36) shall form either side of the bounded citizenship and cosmopolitan citizenship (also referred to as global citizenship) examination, yet one is not conclusively better. Instead there is a compromise; whereby citizens can enjoy their secured rights but also consider the wider implications of theirs and their state’s actions on the world and be represented by heads of state in international communications communities.

Miller’s case argues that the natural evolution of bounded citizenship makes it better, preserving its value over time – potentially at the expense of excluding others – by maintaining mutual trust and responsibility. This reciprocity links to the final of the three claims concerning bounded citizenship, in that citizens express collective self- determination by partaking in responsibilities of voting and thus know that compromising on certain issues leads to other long-term rewards. This promotes civic engagement as citizens directly reap the returns from the success of their actions.

The first argument advocating bounded citizenship is that it ensures security of rights within and from outside the state. Pufendorf (1682:32) and Vattel (1758:389) promoted this statist view because the moral rights transmuted into a legal form are guarded by the sovereign state. Howe...

... middle of paper ...

...ate acc. 7/01/12.

Post, R. (2007), Religion and Freedom of Speech: Portraits of Muhammad. Constellations, 14: 72–90. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8675.2007.00423.x

Pufendorf, S (1964b). DE OFFICIO HOMINIS ET CIVIS JUXTA LEGEM NATURALEM LIBRI DUO, Volume Two, The Translation By Frank Gardner Moore. 2nd ed. New York, London: Oceana Publications Inc. Wildy & Sons Ltd. http://www.constitution.org/puf/puf-dut.htm#1 Date acc. 6/01/12.

Rousseau, J. (1772). Considerations on the Government of Poland and its Proposed Reformations. Available: http://www.constitution.org/jjr/poland.htm Date acc. 7/01/12.

Vattel, E. (1758). The Law of Nations. Available: http://www.constitution.org/vattel/vattel.htm Date acc. 7/01/12.

Wendt, A. (1994), Collective Identity Formation and the International State, The American Political Science Review, Vol. 88, No. 2 (Jun., 1994), pp. 384-396