“Who Cares? Gender and Citizenship in the European Union”

MacLachlan, Effie. (1999) “Who Cares? Gender and Citizenship in the European Union”. In: UNSPECIFIED, Pittsburgh, PA. (Unpublished)

Preview

PDF Download (2492Kb) | Preview

Abstract

Before the potential and promise of a feminist formulation of citizenship based on a theory of care and reproductive activity can be expanded upon, the cluster of meanings that are part of the broader definition of citizenship must be explored. The assertion that citizenship is a contested concept has practically become a truism, which makes it all the more useful to evaluate the various ideological dimensions of its definition. For this purpose Diemut Bubeck’s (1995) discussion of “thin” and “thick” conceptions of citizenship is particularly useful. Defining citizenship as “the meaning of membership in a political community,” Bubeck identifies six separate dimensions along which thinner and thicker conceptions of citizenship fluctuate. Dimensions measure the range across which something extends in one direction or in all directions; thinness and thickness are matters of degree not categorical distinctions. There are two poles/extremes in each dimension of citizenship. If thin and thick are expressive of the contrasting poles of each dimension of citizenship, most conceptions of citizenship are located somewhere between the two poles (1995: 461-462).

Actions (login required)