Page 54 - Contemporary Political Sociology Globalization Politics and Power

40 Changing Definitions of Politics and Power

attention to the politics of recognition, with demanding respect for dif-
ferences between groups, at the expense of dealing with important ques-
tions of the redistribution of wealth and social democracy that were
previously more typical on the Left. In addition, social movements con-
cerned with identity have been criticized as authoritarian and essentialist,
as closing down possibilities for self - creation by putting too much empha-
sis on particular aspects of individuals ’ lives. It is certainly important to

understand struggles over definitions of citizenship in the context of neo -
liberalizing globalization in which many of the social rights achieved in
the welfare states of the twentieth century have been lost or are in ques-
tion, and inequalities of wealth and poverty are growing. But, as we will
see in this chapter, social movements contesting citizenship have been
just as concerned with “ equality ” and “ freedom ” as with “ difference, ”
and debates over the relative weight to be given to all these issues – to
recognition, to redistribution, and to the relationship between personal

and social identity – have been vital to redefining social relationships as
the influence of social movements has spread. Debates over citizenship in

contemporary societies concern a range of problems, including how to
accommodate different ways of identifying as a member of society; what
diversity means for equality of citizenship rights in terms of recognition,
redistribution, and political representation; and how freedom to redefi ne
identities in the future is to be balanced with concerns for equality.
The intensity of debates over what citizenship really means, and should
mean, in terms of equality, freedom and difference is matched in contem-
porary political sociology by questions concerning who should have citi-
zenship rights and obligations, both within state territories and beyond.
Globalization raises questions of post - national citizenship in relation
to large - scale migration and settlement in the territories of Western
states; and to the urgent necessity to respond to environmental dangers.
As national identity, rights and obligations, and the sense of belonging in
a territorially bounded “ community of fate ” come into question, citizen-
ship itself, previously closely linked to the nation - state, is becoming
de - territorialized.
Finally, in chapter 5 we look at the changing conditions of democracy
in relation to globalization. Representative democracy in the West is in
something of a crisis, with declining interest in political parties, and gen-
eralized mistrust of politicians (the very real hopes raised by Obama
notwithstanding). Given the questions raised by globalization about the
limits of the nation as establishing a legitimate democratic political com-
munity, is democratizing international political institutions a viable
response to the crisis of democracy at the national level? If so, how might