Is 'citizenship' still a useful concept? Can citizens - and democracy - exist independently of the state?This text provides an accessible guide to the theories and debates that surround the key political concepts of state, citizenship, and democracy today.
John Hoffman reviews the modern development of these concepts from the classic texts of Marx and Weber to the post-war critiques of the feminist, multicultural and critical theorists and considers the on-going barriers to a full realisation of a democratic citizenship.
By carefully considering what the state is and what it does, Hoffman shows that it is possible to respond to these critiques and challenges and 'reclaim' citizenship and democracy as inclusive and emancipatory, rather than divisive and controlling.
In advancing this alternative view of a 'stateless' citizenship, Hoffman opens up new possibilities for conceiving power and society in contemporary politics today. It will be essential reading for all students of politics and sociology for whom the questions of state, nationality, power and identity remain of central importance.
- ISBN10 1412932440
- ISBN13 9781412932448
- Publish Date 17 September 2010 (first published 16 March 2004)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint SAGE Publications Ltd
- Format eBook
- Pages 200
- Language English