Books & ideas

Deciding Together

Florent Gougou & Simon Persico — 2020-07-16T07:00:00Z

From October 2019 to May 2020, 150 French citizens have been involved in a participatory democracy experiment, defining measures to fight against climate change. But how, and through which legal process, can the citizens' proposals be implemented?

By Soil and Blood

Jean-François Mignot — 2019-10-24T07:00:00Z

Which countries make it easiest for the children of immigrants to obtain citizenship, and which countries make it the most difficult? This essay gives an overview of birthright citizenship, which may be acquired by soil or by blood and may also include particular conditions or discriminations.

The Judge as an Urban Planner

Sanjeev Routray — 2018-02-12T08:00:00Z

Two recent books explore how the judiciary has become the new engine of urban restructuration in New Delhi. Having managed to get hold of a real ‘slum demolition machine', the judges are arbitrarily trying to impose their upper-middle class conception of the city.

The Colonial Margins of Citizenship

Samuel Hayat — 2016-12-19T08:00:00Z

By studying political and legal debates over citizenship through the prism of the colonial situation in the nineteenth century, in the metropole as well as the colonies, Silyane Larcher proposes a new genealogy of citizenship and asks us to rethink how the French Republic was constructed.

Political Animals?

Antoine Grandjean — 2014-10-23T08:00:00Z

According to Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, animals are far more than just creatures to whom we have a duty; they are indeed our fellow citizens. The theory is radical yet fragile: it misconceives the nature of both the animal and the citizen. The problem is the lack of responsibility, accountability and liberty – in other words, the irreducible innocence of animals.

To Be A World Citizen: Political Horizon or Abyss?

Michaël Foessel — 2014-09-11T08:00:00Z

The world is no longer a vague, indeterminate idea: our lives are so globalized that it is now a reality. Does cosmopolitanism have a future under such conditions? Michaël Fœssel explains the origin and meaning of this utopia, highlighting its transformations and reaffirming its political relevance.

Being American

Nicolas Barreyre — 2013-09-05T07:30:00Z

What is an American? By exploring the history of the loss of citizenship, Patrick Weil argues that being American means being a sovereign citizen endowed with inalienable rights. The history of denaturalization, a seemingly marginal phenomenon, provides fresh insight into the legal construction of citizenship as a fundamental right.

The Scandinavian Exception: Myths and Realities

Émilie Frenkiel — 2013-09-02T07:50:00Z

How can we explain the fact that Northern European countries are remaining relatively untouched by the current crisis? Are the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish social democracies homogenous? Yohann Aucante outlines the various factors that created the Scandinavian-style welfare state and industrial democracy, while assessing the influence they have on the rest of Europe.

Civic Mobilization in Russia: Protest and Daily Life

Karine Clément — 2013-06-14T08:43:34Z

Has Russia, amidst rising social discontent and pervasive economic crisis, rediscovered collective mobilization? In this essay, Carine Clément emphasizes the potential for self-organization evident in mobilization “from below,” which is rapidly expanding in daily life.

Post-colonial Governance on a French Island

Nicolas Roinsard — 2012-06-20T12:56:09Z

Mayotte joined the ranks of French departments in 2011. Although it passed almost unnoticed, the event reflects an integration that began in the 1970s but that is likely to continue for many years to come. The case of this small island raises the question of how colonial modes of governance can be ended in France's overseas territories.