Marshall's theory of citizenship
Topic: Citizenship: Idea and Indian Law · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 6 "Citizenship"
Meaning
T.H. Marshall set out this theory in Citizenship and Social Class (1950). He saw citizenship as equality, and he said it grows in two ways: the rights themselves get better, and more people come to hold them. Citizenship has three parts: civil rights (life, liberty, property), political rights (taking part in government) and social rights (education, employment). Marshall argued that citizenship works against class, which he called a "system of inequality".
Example
In Britain, civil rights came in the 18th century, political rights in the 19th and social rights in the 20th. In India, all three appear in the Constitution: civil rights in Arts. 19-22, political rights in Art. 326 (the vote) and social rights in Art. 21A (education) and the Directive Principles.
Don't confuse with
- A universal model: critics say the theory is Anglo-centric, meaning it is based on the British experience. They also say it ignores gender and race and takes the nation-state for granted.