European Citizenship as a Cultural and Political Construct

meaning as a result of popularity. Like other key terms in social and political sciences (civil society, government, social capital), the term citizenship seems accessible and clear, precisely because it is frequently used. Its "civic " reverberation and implicit reference to the state-citizens relationship that seem ample enough to provide a minimal terminology consensus. Nevertheless, specialised literature is much more heterogeneous and divergent. To prove it, following is a collection of definitions given by authors well-known in our field of reference: Marshall (1973): "Citizenship is the status granted to all actual members of the community. Individuals who enjoy this status have equal rights and subsequent obligations. Citizenship presupposes a direct sense of community membership based on loyalty to a shared civilisation. It is the loyalty of a free individual granted with rights and protected by a common legislation.&quot