Citizenship Reimagined: A New Framework for State Rights in the United States

The United States is entering a new era of progressive state citizenship, with California leading the way. Allan Colbern and S. Karthick Ramakrishnan's book "Citizenship Reimagined" provides a framework for understanding and measuring citizenship as expansive, multi-dimensional, and federated, broader than legal status and firmly grounded in the provision of rights.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 22 October 2020
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The United States is embarking on a transformative journey towards progressive state citizenship, with California taking the lead. A growing number of states are extending expanded rights to undocumented immigrants, challenging the traditional notion of citizenship as a binary, unidimensional, and exclusively national concept. In their book "Citizenship Reimagined," Allan Colbern and S. Karthick Ramakrishnan present a comprehensive framework for understanding and measuring citizenship as expansive, multi-dimensional, and federated. This framework goes beyond legal status and is firmly rooted in the provision of rights. By placing today's immigration battles in historical context, the authors demonstrate that progressive state citizenship is not unprecedented in the United States. US states have been pioneers in expanding rights throughout history, including in the fight for black citizenship and women's suffrage. The book invites readers to reexamine the relationship between American federalism and minority rights and explore the potential for coexistence between state laws regulating undocumented residents and federal exclusivity over immigration law. This innovative approach offers a fresh perspective on the complex dynamics of citizenship and immigration in the United States.

Weight: 686g
Dimension: 151 x 227 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108744720