Citizenship today

Citizenship is tackled here by taking into account different aspects: the processes that are at stake, its place in the world and its models of implementation. Thus, what is essentially at stake is the issue of the participation of the citizen in the political life; the place of citizenship in the world differs according to whether it is exercised in Europe, in North America, in Latin America or in Sub-Saharan Africa; the models of citizenship are defined by the identity that is attributed to the citizen, by the values inherent to citizenship, by the political engagement and by the social conditions required by the same. According to the author, the role of the State and of the citizen comes within the principle of the Nation-State and is tackled as an element inherent to democracy, just as it works in both developed and underdeveloped countries. The author reminds us that the State is submitted to criticism by citizens, which can contribute to rebuild the current model at a time of globalisation.