Citizen and Citizenship
Instructor: Fazal Rahman
Department of Sociology, Hazara University Mansehra
What is Citizen
• According to civics, all those individuals are citizens who live in a state. They have all
civil, political, and economic rights. In this way, all those come under the definition of a
citizen who has a right to participate in political and social activities of the state. In the
ancient Greek states, slaves were not considered citizens because they did not have
political rights. In the modern world, such discrimination does not exist. Now every
individual is a citizen except foreigners.
Defining Citizen
• Aristotle: A citizen is a person who is capable of participating in the deliberative and
judicial administration of a state.
• A citizen is a person with certain rights, duties and responsibilities under a government.
Distinction between Citizen, National and Alien
• Citizens: All individuals who have all political, civil, and economic rights in the state are
called citizens.
• Nationals: Nationals are the people inhabitants of the state but those are not given full
rights of citizens. For example they do not have the right to vote and to participate in
elections. This is widely exists in France, where minors are not considered to be citizens,
as they do not have right to vote.
• Aliens: Some of the people do live in a state with government permission and enjoy some
of the social rights but not political. They are called aliens They are obliged to pay taxes to
the country they live temporarily in, and reciprocally, the government has to protect their
lives and property.
Citizenship
• A citizenship is a state of affairs, according to which individuals enjoy all political, social,
and economic rights, and they are obliged to certain duties and responsibilities imposed by
the state. For example, when we say such and such person has been granted American
citizenship, it means he has been given all social, civil, political, and economic rights
through which he can flourish in all respects, but on the contrary, he has been given certain
responsibilities, such as to abide by the national rules and regulations through which he
can participate in the progress of the United States and in its prosperity.
Citizenship
Definition
• Aristotle: Aristotle viewed citizenship as active participation in political affairs and
decision-making within the city-state (polis). He emphasized the importance of citizens
contributing to the common good through their engagement in public life.
• T.H. Marshall: Citizenship is a status bestowed on those who are full members of a
community. All those who possess the status are equal with respect to the rights and duties
with which the status is endowed.
• Rogers Brubaker: Citizenship is not just a legal status but also a form of social closure
that distinguishes between members and non-members of a state.
Basic Concepts of Civics
1. INDIVIDUAL (A Unit of Society): Greek philosopher (Aristotle) rightly said that man is a social
animal. By it he meant that a man cannot live or survive alone. He has to contact or interact with his
fellow men to fulfill his basic needs. This interaction leads towards the formation of social groups.
These social groups establish a society in which all human being fulfil their basic needs. So, man
needs society for his existence or survival. Society ensures harmony and cooperation among
individuals in spite of their occasional conflicts and tensions.
2. SOCIETY: A man cannot survive alone. He has to interact with his fellow men to fulfil his basic
needs. This interaction to fulfil basic needs forms a social group. Simply, we can say that the
interaction of individuals with each other gives birth to group. The social groups interact with each
other and develop relationships with each other, leads to a society.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Defining Society
Morris Ginsberg: Society is a collection of individuals united by certain relations or mode
of behavior which mark them off from others who do not enter into these relations or who
differ from them in behavior.
Talcott Parsons: Society is a total complex of human relationships in so far as they grow
out of the action in terms of means-end relationship intrinsic (innate, essential) or symbolic.
MacIver and Page: Society is a system of usages and procedures of authority and mutual
aid of many groupings and divisions, of controls of human behavior and liberties. This ever-
changing complex system which is called society is a web of social relationship.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Characteristics of Society
Population: A society must have population. Without a group of people no society could be
formed. Of course, society refers not to a group of people but to system of social
relationships.
Likeness: Likeness is the most important characteristic of society. Without a sense of
likeness, there could be no mutual recognition of belonging together and therefore no
society.
Differences: Differences are also important characteristic of society. According to MacIver
primary likeness and secondary differences create the greatest of all institutions-the division
of labour. These differences complementary to social relationship.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Interdependency: Interdependency is another important characteristic of society. According
to Greek Philosopher, Aristotle man is a social animal. As he cannot fulfill his basic needs
alone. He has to interact with each other to fulfill his basic needs.
Web of Social Relationship: Social relationships are the foundation of society. For MacIver
society is a network of social relationship.
Cooperation: Cooperation is also an important characteristic of society. According to
MacIver society is cooperation crossed by conflict. Cooperation is very essential to form a
society. Without cooperation, no society can be created.
Basic Concepts of Civics
3. FAMILYL: Family is a universal institution which is existed in each and every society of
the world. A family is a group of two or more persons related by blood, marriage, or
adoption and residing together.
Meaning of Family
The word family is said to have been derived from the Roman word famulus meaning
servant and from the Latin word Familia meaning household.
Definition
Kingsley Davis: Family as a group of persons whose relations to one another are based
upon consanguinity and who are therefore kin to one another.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Horton and Hunt: It is a type of kinship grouping which provides for the rearing of
children and for certain other human needs.
Types of Family
On the Basis of Organization
i. Nuclear Family: The nuclear family is a unit composed of husband, wife and their
unmarried children. The size of the nuclear family is very small. It is free from the control of
elders. It is regarded as the most dominant and ideal form of family in modern society.
ii. Extended or Joint Family: The term extended family is used to indicate the combination
of two or more nuclear families based on an extension of the parent-child relationships.
Basic Concepts of Civics
On the Basis of Authority
i. Patriarchal Family: Patriarchal family is a family in which all authority) belongs to the
paternal side. In this family, the eldest male or the father is the head of the family. He
exercises his authority over the members of the family.
ii. Matriarchal Family: It is a form of family in which authority is cantered in the wife or
mother.
Basic Concepts of Civics
On the Basis of Residence
i. Patrilocal Family: Patrilocal family is a family, in which newly married couple lives with
the husband's family.
ii. Matrilocal Family: Matrilocal family is a family, in which a newly married couple lived
with the wife's family, such residence is called matrilocal. In Pakistan this type of family,
husband is called (GharJamai or GharDamaad).
iii. Neolocal Family: Neolocal family is a family in which newly married couple lives in an
independent residence which is neither attached to the bride's family nor bridegroom's
family but live independently.
Basic Concepts of Civics
FUNCTIONS OF FAMILY AS SOCIAL INSTITUTION
Reproduction: The major function of family is reproduction. It provides the chance to give
birth to the children. These children are the nucleus of society and perpetuates human race.
Provision of Food, Housing and Clothing: Family also provides its member the facilities
and requirements of basic needs like food supply, house and clothing.
Love and Affection: Love and affection for its members is necessary, especially for
children. The socialization of a child depends on love and affection which leads to
personality development.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Security and Care: Family provides security from all outside and internal dangers to its
members. As child is a helpless being, for which the care is necessary, then family provides
also care to the children.
Physical Satisfaction: Family regulates and gives better chance to the adult members to
satisfy their physical or sexual needs and sexual behavior of the members is standardized.
Socialization: Family is the basic school for a child to learn initial knowledge within it.
Social Control: It keeps its members within control and aware them from rules and
regulations. It told the members about the importance of the social norms within a society.
Basic Concepts of Civics
4. Community: Community is a local area over which people are using the same language,
conforming to same norms, feeling more or less the same sentiments and acting upon the
same attitudes.
Meaning of Community
The word community has been derived from two words of Latin namely “com” which
means together and “munis” which means to serve.
Kingsley Davis: Community is the smallest territorial group that can embrace all aspects of
social life.
E.S. Bogardus: Community is a social group with some degree of we feeling and living in a
given area.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Basic Elements of Community
i. Locality: Every community has a specific locality. Without particular locality; they cannot
establish relations or generate the sense of belonging among themselves.
ii. Community Sentiment: Community can be formed on the basis of community
sentiment. It implies 'a feeling of belonging together.
iii. Group of People: Fundamentally, a community consists of a group of people. A solitary
individual cannot form a community when a group of people share the basic conditions a
common life, they form community.
Basic Concepts of Civics
iv. Likeness: There is a likeliness existed in community.
v. Particular Name: Every community is always known with a particular name, their
immediate bases of origin give such community a particular name.
vii. Common Life: According to sociologists Elwood, the life of the people in a community
is near about the same. The members of community life common life.
viii. Common Interests: In a community, all the members have common and collective
interests. People live in community and work together to fulfil these interests.
Basic Concepts of Civics
iv. Likeness: There is a likeliness existed in community.
v. Particular Name: Every community is always known with a particular name, their
immediate bases of origin give such community a particular name.
vii. Common Life: According to sociologists Elwood, the life of the people in a community
is near about the same. The members of community life common life.
viii. Common Interests: In a community, all the members have common and collective
interests. People live in community and work together to fulfil these interests.
Basic Concepts of Civics
5. NATION AND NATIONALITY
Nation: A nation is a group of people who share a common culture, history, and identity.
The concept of a nation is often associated with a sovereign state, where the nation is the
political entity and the state is the administrative entity that governs the nation.
Meaning of Nation: The world nation has been derived from a Latin word Natio which
means Race or Birth. In other words, nation is a aggregate or collection of such people who
belong to the same race.
Definition
Garner: A nation is such a social collection of people, who have a common culture and
possess a strong desire to maintain the unity of their spiritual life and expression.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Gilchrist: A nation is a blend of state and nationality.
Lord Bryce: A nation is such a nationality who have organized themselves politically
whether they are free or have an usage for freedom.
Nationality: Nationality refers to the legal status of belonging to a particular nation, often
determined by factors such as birthplace, citizenship, or ethnicity. Race can also describe
individuals' sense of belonging and identification with a specific country or group.
Definition
Lord Bryce: Nationality is a community which is united on the basis of certain relations
such as those of language, literature, philosophy, and traditions which provide a base of
distinctions with respect to such other groups.
Basic Concepts of Civics
J. S. Mill: Nationality is such a group of people who have clear and strong sentiments of sympathy
and brotherhood for other members of the group and these sentiments cause their mutual cooperation
and coordination.
Elements of Nationality
Common Homeland: A homeland is the country where a group originally comes from, or where a
person was born. Living in the same region can prove to be a big source of producing sentiments of
nationality. After living together of some people for quite a long time can create a common cultural
and social approach among them.
Common Race: Race is common element of nationality. Race refers to a category of people who
share certain inherited physical characteristics, such as skin colour, facial features, and stature
(height).
Basic Concepts of Civics
Common Culture and Tradition: Culture is a way of living including material and non-material
aspects of life. Every nation possesses a separate set of traditions and culture.
Common Religion: Religion is also an important element of nationality. Religion is a set of beliefs
and practices related to sacred things that unites its follower into a single moral community.
Common Language & Literature: Language is not only a source of cultural transmission but also
it plays a vital role in nationality. Language and literature unify people with respect to their national
feelings, through a common cultural heritage.
Common Political Objectives: When people are involved, in a religion, in similar political
situation, they are bound to have common objectives and they feel for achieving these objectives,
this bounds them to unite and move in the same direction.
Basic Concepts of Civics
Common Interests: A set of common interests of various groups unites them together that
leads towards a nationality.
Common History: The base of common history among a group of people plays an
important role in the development of a nationality. This sentiment was the strongest force
behind the creation of Pakistan.
Sense of National Unity: A sense of national unity is the strongest of all factors, and for
example a nation lacking in this sentiment, cannot sustain the state of Nationhood till long.
When people think to be one, they automatically become a nation.
