Immigration Citizenship And The Nation State By William Brubaker Summary

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The aim of this essay is to outline and critically evaluate William Brubaker’s article on ‘immigration, citizenship and the nation state’, and his views on the ideal-typical case studies of citizenship and nationhood in France and Germany. Using these two case studies as examples of state and sub state nationalism and their role in contemporary global politics. Brubaker’s work will be critiqued and analysed using relevant journal articles and other text. Firstly critiquing Brubaker’s theory on the ideal model of membership on becoming citizens, then discussing his views on immigration and anomalies of membership today and the problems with citizenship.

William Rogers Brubaker focuses primarily on France and Germany, he explains that in …show more content…

Brubaker further discusses what a nation-state should be following the model of membership. According to Brubaker the ideal-typical model of membership has six main points; firstly it should be egalitarian which means that everyone is equal and deserve equal opportunity. This may be an important factor in order to make a nation work, Daniel Beland (2003) explains that the French revolution was caused because absolutism did not work, this is when Louis XIV ruled over France and had political power through the church but was overthrown by citizens in the name of equality. The second factor of the ideal-model according to Brubaker is considering the membership to be sacred, nation-states emerged as religion declined, and secular authority was greatly accepted, therefore it is arguable that membership to a particular nation holds people together today than religion (Haralambos and Holborn 2013). Brubaker’s third point to the ideal model is that state-membership should be based on nation-membership, similarly to the French model; this means that the political community should be a cultural community as they are the representatives, acquired through birth and

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