Democracy and dual citizenship

Abstract

Citizenship lies at the heart of democracy and, at present, there are two main ways of thinking about this in Australia. One is based on the idea of cool attachment: citizens should adhere to the procedural rules of the state and should not harbour strong emotional attachments to the nation. The other holds that citizens should do more than simply abide by the procedures; they should think of themselves as belonging to a people. The first view focuses on justice and tolerance, the second on collective identity and a concern for the common good which is nurtured by feeling as well as reason. Proceduralism has more currency among intellectuals and members of the policy elite, while the idea of a national people is probably more popular with the electorate. The current move to legalise dual citizenship illustrates the political dominance of proceduralism.