Canadian Club: Birthright Citizenship and National Belonging

Birth-based citizenship is widely considered to be the most secure claim to political belonging, but Lois Harder's Canadian Club reveals how membership in the Canadian political community relies on norms surrounding gender, family, and sexuality, as well as presumptions regarding the constitution of authentic national identity, racial hierarchy, and the rightness of settler colonialism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2022
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Birth-based citizenship is widely regarded as the most solid claim to political identity. Contrary to the widespread assumption that liberal democracies emerge through voluntary agreement, the majority of individuals become members of a political community primarily due to the circumstances of their birth. In her book, Canadian Club, Lois Harder delves into the evolution of Canada's Citizenship Act, from its initial iteration in 1947 to the provisions governing the citizenship of children born abroad to Canadian parents through reproductive technologies. Through a comprehensive review of various cases, Harder uncovers how membership in the Canadian political community is contingent upon norms surrounding gender, family, and sexuality, as well as assumptions regarding the constitution of authentic national identity, racial hierarchy, and the legitimacy of settler colonialism. Canadian Club concludes by exploring alternative approaches to forming political communities. Ultimately, it raises the question of whether birth-based citizenship is the optimal solution and what a more democratic and socially just alternative might entail.

Birth-based citizenship is widely regarded as the most solid claim to political identity. Contrary to the widespread assumption that liberal democracies emerge through voluntary agreement, the majority of individuals become members of a political community primarily due to the circumstances of their birth. In her book, Canadian Club, Lois Harder delves into the evolution of Canada's Citizenship Act, from its initial iteration in 1947 to the provisions governing the citizenship of children born abroad to Canadian parents through reproductive technologies. Through a comprehensive review of various cases, Harder uncovers how membership in the Canadian political community is contingent upon norms surrounding gender, family, and sexuality, as well as assumptions regarding the constitution of authentic national identity, racial hierarchy, and the legitimacy of settler colonialism. Canadian Club concludes by exploring alternative approaches to forming political communities. Ultimately, it raises the question of whether birth-based citizenship is the optimal solution and what a more democratic and socially just alternative might entail.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 236 x 159 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487547660