• Explores notions of citizenship from a political perspective, asking what citizenship is, and why it matters
• Highly topical issue - citizenship has become a buzz-word for politicians of all stripes, moral leaders, and every kind of campaigning group from the global to the local level
• Looks at the teaching of citizenship in schools, citizenship tests for immigrants, and the many different definitions and types of citizenship in modern society
• Examines the challenges confronting the very possibility of citizenship today, the impact of globalization, and the desirability of 'global citizenship'
• Explores the many different theories of citizenship, and looks at concepts such as membership and belonging, and the relation between citizenship, rights, and democracy

 
Interest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen of a modern, complex community? Why is citizenship important? Can we create citizenship, and can we test for it? 

In this fascinating Very Short Introduction, Richard Bellamy explores the answers to these questions and more in a clear and accessible way. He approaches the subject from a political perspective, to address the complexities behind the major topical issues. Discussing the main models of citizenship, exploring how ideas of citizenship have changed through time from ancient Greece to the present, and examining notions of rights and democracy, he reveals the irreducibly political nature of citizenship today.
 
   
Reading Guide
Interest in citizenship has never been higher. But what does it mean to be a citizen in a modern, complex community? Richard Bellamy approaches the subject of citizenship from a political perspective and, in clear and accessible language, addresses the complexities behind this highly topical issue.