The argument for justice: a critical taxonomy of citizenship

<p dir="ltr">This Working Paper introduces a critical taxonomy of citizenship, challenging traditional binary frameworks and revealing the inequalities embedded within constitutional systems. Citizenship, it argues, is not a singular or universal experience but a spectrum of statuses reflecting the divergent realities of individuals within the same polity. Building on Jellinek’s Statustheorie, the Working Paper distinguishes between formal and material status to expose the systemic barriers that marginalised groups face in accessing substantive protections. The proposed taxonomy identifies six statuses –negatory nationality, affirmative nationality, semi-statuses, passive citizenship, receptorycitizenship, and citizenship proper – each representing constitutional positions in relation to rightsand protections. This framework critically examines how mechanisms like sub-standard nationalityand systemic barriers perpetuate exclusion and oppression, emphasising the disconnect betweenthe ideal promises of citizenship and its lived reality. The Working Paper bridges theory and practiceby offering a structured framework to understand and address disparities, equipping scholars,policymakers, and practitioners with tools to understand and challenge oppressive structures.Ultimately, the Working Paper reimagines citizenship as a tool for justice, advocating for systemicreforms that align the real and ideal dimensions of rights. It calls for a transformative approach tocitizenship that ensures equal access and protections, making citizenship an instrument to makejustice a tangible reality rather than a mere aspiration.</p>