Citizenship and Cultural Identity

The aim of this project is to study how the conception of citizenship and cultural identity affect rules about citizenship and how they are shaped in general, and hot they affect rules about naturalization in particular. Turned around, the rules can also tell quite a lot about the state’s view on citizenship and cultural identity. The rules can be used as a tool either to invite or to exclude.The research project takes off from the Swedish rules about naturalization, but also compares the Swedish system with other opinions. It tries to answer questions like: 
In some systems, the rules of citizenship aim at assimilation rather than – as in Sweden – integration. How does that affect the rules?

Citizenship can either be seen as the end point of a successful integration, or, as in Sweden, as a step in the integration process. How do these differing views affect the rules? The study will also explore different kinds of language- and knowledge tests used to qualify people for citizenship. Can these test co-exist with both views of citizenship, and, in that case, how do the two different views affect the rules.

The project will also discuss the Swedish rules about citizenship in relation to classical liberal theories of democracy’s view of citizenship. It also raises the question whether citizenship should be a right under certain conditions.

The study started in the fall 2012 and is expected to be finished by summer 2014.

Participation researcher: Patrik Bremdal