ABSTRACT
The point of departure of this chapter is a discussion of deficits in the functional approaches to collective identity. Against the background of the weaknesses of the functional collective identity conceptualizations, an approach linking citizenship and collective identity will be proposed. I will begin by reconceptualizing the concept of collective identity, which will be explored with regard to both its semantic core and two semantic dimensions, which include its orientation and its internal dynamics. The semantic core of collective identity in political terms pertains to the notion of citizenship identity, which I have already touched upon in Chapter 1. After the exploration of the orientation and dynamics of collective identity I will discuss possibilities of linking citizenship with collective identity. Here, shared citizenship is regarded as a source of political collective identity. Even though many different political identities can exist, such as party identities or ideological identities, citizenship identity represents a ‘master identity’ that underpins citizens’ behaviour in the public space. However, as citizenship can assume different forms, its variance finds its reflection in the thickness and strength of citizenship identity. This variance is mirrored in three generic models of citizenship (republican, liberal and caesarean citizenship) that correspond to different forms of collective identities. The chapter argues that precisely this differentiation between types of citizenship and their corresponding collective identities is crucial for the analysis of the citizenship-collective identity nexus. It can be applied to an analytical framework for the exploration of citizenship and collective identity in Europe.
