The paradox of citizenship in American politics : ideals and reality / Mehnaaz Momen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Momen, Mehnaaz, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Citizenship--United States.

Citizenship.

Politics and government.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--21st century.

Physical Description:

xvi, 265 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Cham, Switzerland : Palgrave Macmillan, [2018]

Summary:

"This remarkable book does the unusual: it embeds its focus in a larger complex operational space. The migrant, the refugee, the citizen, all emerge from that larger context. The focus is not the usual detailed examination of the subject herself, but that larger world of wars, grabs, contestations, and, importantly, the claimers and resisters."-- Saskia Sassen, Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, USA This thought-provoking book begins by looking at the incredible complexities of "American identity" and ends with the threats to civil liberties with the vast expansion of state power through technology. A must-read for anyone interested in the future of the promise and realities of citizenship in the modern global landscape.-- Kevin R. Johnson, Dean, UC Davis School of Law, USA. Momen focuses on the basic paradox that has long marked national identity: the divide between liberal egalitarian self-conception and persistent practices of exclusion and subordination. The result is a thought-provoking text that is sure to be of interest to scholars and students of the American experience. -- Aziz Rana, Professor of Law, Cornell Law School, USA. This book is an exploration of American citizenship, emphasizing the paradoxes that are contained, normalized, and strengthened by the gaps existing between proposed policies and real-life practices in multiple arenas of a citizen's life. The book considers the evolution of citizenship through the journey of the American nation and its identity, its complexities of racial exclusion, its transformations in response to domestic demands and geopolitical challenges, its changing values captured in immigration policies and practices, and finally its dynamics in terms of the shift in state power vis-à-vis citizens. While it aspires to analyze the meaning of citizenship in America from the multiple perspectives of history, politics, and policy, it pays special attention to the critical junctures where rhetoric and reality clash, allowing for the production of certain paradoxes that define citizenship rights and shape political discourse.

Contents:

Introduction: The paradox of citizenship

American identity: Ideals versus illusions

Nation-building: Nation-states versus empire

World relations: Hegemony versus globalization

Immigration: Becoming "us" versus remaining "them"

State power: Technology versus technology

Conclusion: The paradox continues.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-258) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Momen, Mehnaaz. paradox of citizenship in American politics.

ISBN:

3319615297

9783319615295

OCLC:

988277146