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Seminar series

Citizenship (dis)connected: paradoxes of membership in Montenegro and Serbia

Paradoxes of membership in state-building and democratisation agendas

When

05 December 2024

13:00 - 14:00 CET

Where

Sala Triaria

Villa Schifanoia

Join this seminar to explore how citizenship policies in post-communist Europe have shaped state-building, democratisation, and democratic backsliding, with a focus on Montenegro and Serbia.

Scholarship has established the centrality of citizenship policies in state-building agendas but has largely neglected their linkages to democratic struggles in post-communist contexts. This paper highlights the resilient nature of citizenship laws following their initial determination, which often reflects the dominant political project’s vision of the ‘people’. It argues that while citizenship laws remain resilient during democratisation, they become vulnerable to manipulation during democratic backsliding, when populist and authoritarian leaders seek to selectively expand or restrict the citizenry.

The paper first contextualises these linkages by discussing citizenship policies and the different directions of democratisation, state, and nation-building in post-communist Europe. It then focuses on the cases of Montenegro and Serbia, where state and nation building and democratisation had different 'meeting points'. Drawing on original research and interviews with key stakeholders in both countries, the paper provides insights into the politics of citizenship resilience and reform. It examines not only how citizenship policies evolved within the broader context of state-building and democratisation, but also explores what inhibited their change during democratic transitions and backsliding.

Contact

Alessandra Caldini

Send an email

Scientific Organiser

Maarten Vink

European University Institute

Jelena Džankić

EUI - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

Speaker

Jelena Džankić

EUI - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

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