The Formation of Citizenship in Turkey [2]

Abstract

Citizenship denotes a politico-legal link between state and people. In other words, it refers to membership of a political community, which provides members with a set of rights and obligations. In principle, membership to polity is universal, that is, open to everybody living within the territorial boundaries of the state. Nevertheless, the connection between people as nation and the state makes membership criteria highly contentious. Modern citizenship expresses membership to the nation-state. Although rights and duties associated with citizenship have changed in the course of history, nation-state has thus far remained the fundamental political unit defining borders and content of citizenship. © 2014 Carmen Rodríguez, Antonio Ávalos, Hakan Yılmaz and Ana I. Planet.