A Sociological Analysis on Citizenship Regarding Inequality and Social Stratification

This paper aims at examining the unequal content of citizenship from the first emergence in Athens to the comtemporary form in the modern nation-state regarding to the political, social and economical dimensions, with a special reference to its meaning, function and structure in the capitalist nation state. Thus, this work suggests that the nature of the citizenship in the nation-states still remains deeply differentiated, exclusive and hierarchical which excludes some disadvantaged groups who stay outside of the definition of citizens, because the connection between liberal citizenship and the idea of socio-economic equality has always been derivative, secondary or incidental nature. This paper, while focusing on the relationship between citizenship and social stratification, criticizes the liberal citizenship structure based on exclusively political equality separating political sphere from economic one demistifies or hides the social and economic inequality. Besides, the paper analyzes how citizenship constructs a hierarchy between nation and migrants by pointing to the difference between the idea of the formal citizenship (formal equality) and substantial citizenship (equality in practice). Thus, based on the perspective of economy-politics, it argues that political equality itself cannot be enough for a substantial democracy if it is not completed by economic and social equality.