Recasting the Social in Citizenship.

Dr. Christopher Adams is a vice president with Probe Research Inc. and an adjunct professor at both the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Winnipeg and the Department of Politics at the University of Manitoba.

Six decades since the end of the Second World War, social scientists continue to discuss the implications of the postwar era, including the recognition of social rights and how they influence our understandings of citizenship. This collection of essays explores how the growing recognition of social rights, including social security and universal health care, as well as identity-related rights, have since been “recast” and subjected to many recent challenges.

The editor, Engin Isin — a Professor in Politics and International Studies at Britain’s Open University and formerly of York University — brings together a team of well-known Canadian-based sociologists and political scientists to provide well-developed insights on rights and citizenship as they relate to gender, immigration, environmentalism, national security, and urban politics.

The reference point for most of the authors is T.H. Marshall’s Citizenship and Social Class, which first appeared in 1950. Marshall’s thesis was that the widespread introduction of social rights through new programs and policies during the postwar era precipitated a rethinking of state-society relations and citizenship.

This was certainly true in Canada. One of the book’s contributors, Janine Brodie, argues that 1966 was a significant year for Canada in that three pieces of legislation furthered the bond between the national state and its citizens. These launched a national health care program, the Canada Pension Plan, and the Canada Assistance Plan. Brodie and the other essayists point out how neo-liberalism and globalized entrepreneurialism, which disguise processes of inequality, are now “recasting” the “social” in citizenship. 

Yet they argue that all is not lost. New forms of political action, many of which are linked to class and identity politics, including those relating to gender, minorities, and economically marginalized communities, are finding new openings for developing their agendas.

This collection of essays is a valuable contribution for those seeking to explore developing factors within the dynamic of state-society relations. However, many of the essays are overly lengthy and the authors tend to repeat their thesis statements over and over. The book’s well-developed bibliography and the editor’s brief and well-written conclusion are useful additions to the collection. Originally published in 2008, these essays preceded the current economic crisis. It will be interesting to see how social citizenship evolves in the coming years.