Introduction: ‘Border Crossings’ — The Dimensions of Membership

Abstract

This collection of essays explores the issue of citizenship acquisition from the perspective of political theory, and looks at ways in which liberal democratic states can develop systems of admission that meet its core values of moral equality, individual liberty, and social justice. This introductory essay provides the theoretical and historical background for the discussions that follow: while they explore possible futures, this essay explores the recent past and the present. I set out the main features of the theoretical landscape of citizenship in the next four sections, and the recent past and present in the subsequent two sections.