Citizenship in Nativist Times

Over the past two decades, debates about diversity, belonging, and feeling at home have intensified significantly. A particularly prominent argument posits that growing diversity threatens societal cohesion, eroding citizens’ commitment to ideals such as solidarity and justice. Similarly widespread is the claim that various societal divides – between urban and rural populations, politicians and constituents, cosmopolitans and communitarians – are widening rapidly, leaving many feeling abandoned and disillusioned.

As perceptions of deepening divides gain traction, citizenship has become a central site of political struggle. Populist and nativist forces increasingly dictate who counts as a ‘real’ citizen, often undermining democratic principles, the rule of law, and the welfare state. Citizenship – with all its perplexities – is the central focus of this collection. Through case studies and theoretical reflections, essays by well-established international experts explore the tensions and intersections among the political, social, cultural, and academic dimensions of citizenship. From rights and representation to social welfare and public discourse, the contributions question how citizenship is being restricted, reimagined, or reclaimed – and by whom.

Engaging with current debates, this volume is essential reading on democracy, justice, and belonging amid populism, nativism, and (perceived) societal fragmentation.

Edited by Menno Hurenkamp (Professor of Democracy at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht) and Tamar de Waal (Associate Professor in Legal Philosophy and Citizenship at the Amsterdam Law School, University of Amsterdam). With contributions by Apostolos Andrikopoulos, Christophe Bertossi, Paolo Boccagni, Jacob Boersema, Saskia Bonjour, David Bos, Christian Broër, Yannick Coenders, Rineke van Daalen, Mischa Dekker, Thijs van Dooremalen, Stefan Dudink, Nancy Foner, Halleh Ghorashi, Ido de Haan, Minke Hajer, James Jasper, Thomas Kampen, Philip Kasinitz, Josip Kešić, Monique Kremer, Michèle Lamont, Rogier van Reekum, Kees Schuyt, Evelien Tonkens, Justus Uitermark, Imrat Verhoeven, Olav Velthuis, Simone van de Wetering, Timothy Stacey, Bernike Pasveer, Tsjalling Swierstra.

About the new Book Series: Studies on Academic Freedom and Epistemic Diversity

Institutes for Advanced Study occupy a unique place in academia. By bringing together world-class scholars and fostering disciplinary, epistemological and cultural diversity, they create fertile ground for new comparative perspectives and intellectual cross-pollination. The combination of scholarly excellence, freedom from institutional constraints and the space to explore new directions makes these institutes ideal environments for reflecting on science and society—and for engaging fundamental questions about academic freedom, epistemic diversity and the science system.

With this series of monographs and edited volumes, the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS-KNAW) presents insights from its fellows, alumni and partners, highlighting the structural challenges facing scholars, disciplines and institutions amid political, policy-related, economic and societal pressures. The series aims to stimulate debate about where academia stands today, where it is heading, and what is needed to shape its future.

Learn more about earlier edition Doing Ethnography by anthropologist and professor emerita Annelies Moors and about our series, published with Leuven University Press.