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Revocation of Citizenship in the United States*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2011

Ben Herzog
Ben Herzog*
Affiliation:
The Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University, New haven [ben.herzog@yale.edu].
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Abstract

Rogers Brubaker in his 1992 path-breaking study proposes a theory of citizenship as a coherent world view: the French liberal model identifies citizenship as a community based on territoriality; the German ethno-nationalist model bases citizenship on blood-line. Rogers Smith challenged Brubaker and, based on a 1997 study of United States immigration laws, claims that the American concept of citizenship is a non-coherent mix of various principles: liberal, ethno-nationalist and republican at the same time. Both authors inspired a great deal of research, but all studies so far have attempted to adjudicate between the two competing theories by looking at inclusionary practices, at the various ways citizenship is granted in various countries, and their results are inconclusive. This paper reports findings for a study which looked at exclusion. The data on United States laws and legislative debates about the states’ rights to revoke, and citizens’ privilege to renounce, citizenship lends support to Rogers Smith’s arguments regarding inclusion and citizenship, while underlining war as an independent sociological source for the genesis, persistence and dispersion of these bundles or equilibria.

Résumé

En 1992, Rogers Brubaker avait proposé une théorie de la citoyenneté comme vision cohérente du monde et opposé modèle libéral français avec droit du sol, au modèle ethnonationaliste allemand du droit du sang. Roger Smith (1997) a contesté cette thèse et affirmé que le concept de citoyenneté américain est un mixte incohérent de principes hétérogènes : libéral, ethnonationaliste et républicain. Les nombreuses recherches suscitées qui ont traité de l’octroi de citoyenneté ne sont pas concluantes. Notre article apporte des résultats à partir d’une étude de la déchéance de nationalité. Les données des textes législatifs successifs et des débats sur le droit de retirer la citoyenneté et la possibilité pour les citoyens d’y renoncer appuient plutôt les arguments de Smith, tout en faisant observer que les guerres sont des causes extérieures qui bouleversent les équilibres.

Zusammenfassung

1992 hat Rogers Brubaker eine Staatsbürgerschaftstheorie als kohärente Weltansicht vorgeschlagen und das liberale frz. Modell des ius soli dem ethnonationalen dt. Modell des ius sanguinis gegenüber gestellt. Roger Smith (1997) hat diese These widerlegt und behauptet, dass das amerikanische Bürgerkonzept eine inkohärente Mischung aus heterogenen Prinzipien ist: liberaler, ethnonationalistischer und republikanischer Art. Die zahlreichen Studien, die seitdem der Einbürgerung gewidmet worden sind, haben zu keinem wirklichen Ergebnis geführt. Unser Aufsatz liefert Studienergebnisse über den Verlust der Staatsbürgerschaft. Gesetzestexte und Debatten bezüglich des Staatsbürgerschaftsverlustes oder -verzichts untermauern eher die Argumente Smiths, wobei Kriege äußere Anläße darstellen, die das Gleichgewicht stören.

Keywords

CitizenshipLoss of citizenshipImmigrationsWars.CitoyennetéPerte de citoyennetéImmigrationGuerres.StaatsbürgerschaftVerlust der StaatsbürgerschaftEinwanderungKriege.
Type
Research Articles
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , April 2011 , pp. 77 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © A.E.S. 2011

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