As noted by Stoke (2017), citizenship refers to the state of belonging or being a member of a particular country or state. International law recognizes a citizen as any person belonging or pledging allegiance to a specific sovereign/self-governing state/s. The concept of citizenship encompasses entitlement to civil rights, freedoms, privileges, nationality, and identity (Isin, 2017). In recent years, citizenship has increasingly evolved to capture more than the aspects stated above. Cultural citizenship was first used by Renato Rosaldo in examining varying degrees of citizenship in the United States. According to Dupre (2018), cultural citizenship is a new and advanced type of citizenship that emphasizes the equality of culture and the importance of recognition and empowerment. As Boele van Hoensbrek (2010) notes, cultural citizenship has emerged recently in multicultural societies as a tool of fighting marginalization of minority communities while at the same time retaining their right of belonging to that society. In simpler terms, cultural citizenship is a problematic notion that involves promoting cultural differences and maintaining a feeling of belonging (Mori, 2020).
Latina/o is an umbrella term referring to all people originating from Southern American countries (Martinez-Gugerli, 2018). In context of U.S history and citizenship, it represents diverse peoples with similar origin, struggle and migration trends (Cisneros, 2014). According To Flores (2017), the Latina/o is currently the largest minority community in the United States. Throughout the years, the Latino population has grown exponentially due to rapid population expansion and immigration from neighboring countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and the Caribbean. As a multicultural society, the United States seemingly supports equality, peace, and inclusivity for all its citizens. However, minority communities like the Latina, Blacks, and Asians have remained invisible for centuries. Besides, historical incidences of discrimination, bigotry, and resentment prove how “citizenship” falls short in embracing equality and inclusivity.
Due to ethnicity and contempt for minorities, it is not surprising how the white community adopts an unchanging stance about the Latina community. From a historical perspective, Latina culture or existence has never been much of a concern to the dominant white society. For instance, during World War II, Hispanic soldiers (who were American citizens) were denied proper burial although they had lost their lives fighting for their country (Arana, 2019). Like other minority communities, the Latina people have been a part of the United States society from the very beginning. However, they still hold the identity of illegal immigrants and lower-class citizens, with most members facing long sentences or deported when found without proper documentation. The unending mistreatment, prejudice, and neglect of the Latina community led to the emergence of cultural citizenship.
Apart from racism and other injustices pitted against the Latina community in the U. S, the biggest challenge to cultural citizenship in the United States society is the idea that requires minority communities to cede their cultural values and identity to be as American as Whites. In the context of this notion, minority communities might acquire citizenship; however, they would exist as second-class citizens. As Beaman (2016) notes, there is an awkward notion that the United States should be a country inhabited by a single community with a universal language and culture. This notion has led to the marginalization of the Latinas and other minority races as they seemingly pose a threat to the creation of white supremacy (Chavez, 2020). Most immigrants indeed enter the United States illegally while fleeing from poverty, crime, and social injustice in their native countries. However, it is equally wrong to violate their rights and treat them as second-class citizens when they refuse to assimilate. Much worse, it is evil to blame for socioeconomic problems facing the U.S (McCann & Boateng, 2021).
The 14th Amendment of 1868 and subsequent clauses granted citizenship, equal rights, and equal protection to all persons in the United States regardless of racial and social differences (Arthur, 2018). Besides, this law held severe implications against state governments that would act in violation (Imam & Kpodar, 2019). Arguably, it was a monumental step in reconfiguring and reinforcing inclusivity in U.S society. However, from a cultural citizenship perspective, this law was relatively general and allowed for the oppression and neglect of minority communities. Besides, this amendment failed in integrating the aspects of dignity, cultural equality, sense of belonging, and trust in citizenship. By focusing only on citizenship through birth and naturalization, this law overlooked the fact that citizenship involves legal definitions and consists of other vital elements not captured through documentation (Beaman, 2016).
In conclusion, cultural citizenship can be defined as a concept encompassing more than belonging to a country. It is more about respecting each community and recognizing the cultural uniqueness of all communities living existing collectively in a specific state. In light of the growing presence of the Latina community in the United States, cultural citizenship provides a virtual channel through which the culture, belonging, and empowerment are integrated into citizenship.
Reference
Arana, M. (2019). A history of anti-Hispanic bigotry in the United States. The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/a-history-of-anti-hispanic-bigotry-in-the-united-states/2019/08/09/.
Arthur, A. R. (2018). Birthright citizenship: An overview. Center for Immigration Studies.
Beaman, J. (2016). Citizenship as cultural: Towards a theory of cultural citizenship. Sociology Compass, 10(10), 849-857.
Boele van Hensbroek, P. (2010). Cultural citizenship as a normative notion for activist practices. Citizenship Studies, 14(3), 317-330.
Chavez, L. (2020). The latino threat. Stanford University Press.
Dupré, J. F. (2018). Operationalizing cultural citizenship: towards a concept of culture regime. Citizenship Studies, 22(3), 329-343.
Flores, A. (2017). How the US Hispanic population is changing. Pew Research Center, 18.
Imam, P. A., & Kpodar, K. (2019). Citizenship and Growth. FINANCE & DEVELOPMENT, 56.
Martinez-Gugerli, K. (2018). Latino Identity and Presence Across the United States. Panoramas. Retrieved 25 February 2021, from https://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/health-and-society/latino-identity-and-presence-across-united-states.
McCann, W. S., & Boateng, F. D. (2021). An Analysis of Hate Crime Victimization Amongst Immigrants. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 1-23.
Mori, L. (2020). Social Citizenship and Cultural Citizenship. The Role of Social Rights in Promoting Cultural Citizenship. Italian Sociological Review, 10(2), 291A-303.
Stokke, K. (2017). Politics of citizenship: Towards an analytical framework. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift-Norwegian Journal of Geography, 71(4), 193-207.
