ABSTRACT
To tackle this question let us directly start with Charles Tilly’s definition addressing various important aspects of citizenship that will be specified in the course of this and the next chapter. Tilly (1999: 252253) defines citizenship as referring to a relation between governmental agents 1 and whole categories of persons identified uniquely by their connection with the government in question. The relation between government and its subject population can be considered as a contract involving transactions that cluster around mutual rights and obligations and drawing visible lines between insiders and outsiders. According to Tilly, such a contract is never completely specified. Rather, it might vary in range, depend on unstated assumptions about context, be modified by practice and be constrained by collective memory.
