Introduction

This chapter provides a general introduction to the edited volume of Citizenship Practices in East Africa: Perspectives from Philosophical Pragmatism. It contextualizes the contribution of the book within three ongoing discussions: first, on the role of a normative starting point in development research; second, on the principle of philosophical pragmatism of starting theorizing from human practices; and third, on the efforts to conceptualize citizenship on the basis of everyday experiences. The chapter sets the main objectives of the book as to articulate a concept of citizenship based on philosophical pragmatism, to explore a variety of practices in which citizenship habits are acquired and reformulated, and to reflect on the interaction between the ideals of transformation and actualization of incremental change in practice. It also introduces the research material collected in Tanzania and Uganda and provides a short description of each chapter of the book.