Citizenship and Identity

An ever growing part of the ethnic minority communities in Western European countries consist of second and third generation migrants. Having their roots abroad but living their life in the country of residence questions arise about where they belong and as what they see themselves. The official sign of belonging is the citizenship of a state, which is acquired at birth on the basis of either ius soli or ius sanguinis. This dissertation analyses, using the cases of Britain and Germany, what influence these different concepts have on the identity formation of second generation South Asians. While in both countries the members of the second generation find their own way in the country they live in and look to South Asia for determinants of their identity, in Germany with the more exclusionary citizenship laws, in contrast to Britain, the passport develops into a symbol of (not) belonging. Citizenship of the host country seems thus to be a necessary but not a sufficient condition for developing a sense of belonging.

The dissertation "Citizenship and Identity -among Second Generation South Asians in Western European Countries" was written in 1998. The original and complete version can be downloades as a pdf.

Since 1998 the citizenship laws in Germany and India have been changed. Person of Indian Origin (PIO) can now apply for a PIO card, which for 15 years gives them rights similar to those of an Indian citizen. Children of resident foreign citizens born in Germany obtain now German citizenship by birth.

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Literatur

© Urmila Goel, urmila.de / english or Desis in Deutschland/ Zweite Generation /Citizenship 1998/2004