Gendered citizenship is the assignment of expectations, responsibilities, rights, and privileges by patriarchal nation-states that are specific to gender and differ according to race, religion, national origin, class, and sexuality. Although all of the mentioned concepts play a vital role in nation-states’ assignment of citizens’ responsibilities and expectations and the formation of legal rights and privileges, the concepts of religion, race, national origin, and gender arguably represent the determining elements in the processes, which has been exemplified in various conflicts throughout the course of history. Therefore, my objective in this essay is to examine the degree, to which religion, race, nationality, and/or gender influence an individual’s way of life by introducing examples from various countries’ historical, social, religious, and political timelines, such as the Women’s Suffrage movement in the United States and the religious laws of Judaism. Gendered Identities in Nations and States, by Inderpal Grewal, a Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of California in Irvine, and Caren Kaplan, an Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies, examines the connection between patriarchal nation-states and citizenship in relation to the formation of identity. The formation of an identity is influenced by various factors, such as an individual’s environment, race, sexuality, and religion, however, Grewal and Kaplan note that it is not always a natural process
Citizenship can be defined as the position or status of being a citizen in a particular country (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). This definition is not very broad, nor does it cover the many aspects of citizenship that exist in the 21st century. It is not only about being a legal citizen of a particular country, it is also about being a social citizen. You can be a citizen of Australia but choose to live elsewhere for the majority of your life. In terms of citizenship it is relevant on a political and social level. If you are actively contributing to the country in which you live in some ways you are fulfilling your duties as a citizen.
Two forces which gathered strength in the last half of the twentieth century now dominate the world religions at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The first is the globalization of religions and their resulting encounter with each other, and the second is the need to redefine attitudes toward gender as women have stepped forward to insist that their full humanity be acknowledged in the religious as well as the social realm.
Jacobson spends a great deal of time analyzing the way in which ideas about citizenship played into changing perceptions about race and whiteness at the turn of the Twentieth Century. This is expressed in the constant evaluation of a given group’s “fitness for self-government” and how this concept was used to promote inferiority among particular “races” and thus maintain traditional power relations. Jacobson states that “citizenship and whiteness were conjoined,”(p.29) and in saying so he is commenting on the very foundations of the American power structure as it took on the task of deciding who would be entitled to the rights and privileges of being American. It is to this point that further discussion of gender is necessary. If citizenship is understood as being fundamentally connected to the right to participate in democracy then it must be noted that this right was systematically denied to women as well as non-whites at the turn of the Twentieth Century. Therefore to truly benefit from the privileges of American citizenship one need not only be white but also male, a reality that is not expressed in Jacobson’s analysis. By not including a further analysis on gender, Jacobson leaves the reader with the impression that race relations operated independent of gender relations, when in fact sexuality was deeply connected to the construction of racial identities. Jacobson
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.” Without the right that the Constitution brings us, we wouldn’t have rights therefore the United States wouldn’t be a good place to live in. The Constitution brings us the right of freedom of speech (first amendment) , the right to bear arms (second amendment), and the right to protect against unreasonable government actions such as search and seizure of person property (fourth amendment). Being an American citizen means that you have rights that they would like you to fulfil. As an American citizen is it voluntary to vote, but others are required such as obeying the law and paying taxes. The Magna Carta, John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, and the Petition of Rights explains the rights and the responsibilities of an American citizen.
Why do people struggle to accept those who are different from themselves? As one of many age old questions, examples of discrimination have been traced throughout history for ages. There are many categories of discrimination and inequality, including those aimed at people due to their race, sexual orientation, and gender. Gender inequality in specific has gone through a vast amount of changes, especially as women eventually began to speak out against the rules and laws that bound them. They protested against their lack of rights, the notion of being entirely dependent on their fathers and husbands, and the idea that they were even to be viewed as less than human by men. Because of this, it is almost impossible to track back the root of gender equality to one instance in history, as across the world before countries were even connected through exploration, women were thought of the inferior gender. Therefore, this essay is meant to show that, while we are making progress, there is still a lot to be done before women, men, and every other gender is accepted as equal.
In all areas of life and society the treatment and well being of women have always been challenged. In many religions the role and status of its women are usually overwhelmed by the actions and roles of its men this inequality of religions between male and female allows these feelings and ideology of which sex is superior or inferior to bleed into a society’s culture thus shaping their treatment of their men and women.
Alongside ethnic groups, women have had a long struggle to attain equal rights. Since the earliest days of the country’s history, women, regardless of marital status
Race and religion are two concepts in American culture that can really tie people together, or clearly separate them apart. A group forged by strong common roots in both race and religion can be a powerful societal force, if it wants to be. The Nation of Islam is a small but growing religion in America that has become somewhat of a social movement because of its strong and radical ideas on race. In this paper, I will try to explore the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the ramifications it could and has had on racial relations in America. The Nation of Islam, or NOI, is a relatively new religion. The first temple of Islam was established in Detroit by Master Fard Muhammed in 1930. Much
The process of gender socialization reveals much about how gender identities are formed, but gender is not just a matter of identity: Gender is embedded in social institutions. This means that institutions are patterned by gender, resulting in different experiences and opportunities for men and women. The concept of the term “gendered institutions” means that entire institutions are patterned by gender. In a gendered institution, men and women are channeled into different, and often differently valued, social spaces or activities and their choices have different and often unequal consequences. Gendered institutions are the total pattern of gender relations, which includes the following (Acker 1992): stereotypical expectations, interpersonal relationships, and the division of labor along lines of gender. As well as, the images and symbols that support these divisions and the different placement of men and women in social, economic, and political hierarchies of institutions.
Religious identity can come in two forms, one from a nation of people all believing in the same values and another from the personal view of each individual or family within that nation. In a family or local community sense, it ties the smaller community together against its neighbouring ethnicities. It provides a feeling of togetherness and strength for the society. It is the basis for 'ethnic honour: the excellence of one's own customs and the inferiority of alien ones' (Weber, cited in Bruce 1996, p. 96). Religious identity brings great pride and hope to the citizens of any particular society and lends itself towards social cohesion (Browne 2005).
National identity is the transmission of each generation’s legacy to the next and the enabling of the nation citizen to take pride and identification of the country (Stephan, 2009). A nation positive unique identity breeds patriotism which consequently
In order to provide a foundation for her readers to be skeptical of group rights related to multiculturalism, Okin describes several stories, examples, and historical cases of women being controlled within their culture. Her examples include France’s historical permission of polygamy due to the immigrants’ culture; Greek mythology; Adam and Eve from the Bible; Orthodox Jews living in the mountains; and Sarah and Abraham from the Bible. She uses these examples to illustrate her point that, “Most cultures have as one of their principal aims the control of women by men.” (590). Okin describes practices such as clitoridectomy, child marriages, and forcing rape victims to marry their assaulter. She uses these examples to reinforce her point that, “many culturally based customs aim to control women and render them,
Religion is a major cornerstone of human identity and culture. Anywhere you look on earth where there are people, there is a religion or set of beliefs that those people follow. Many times, the teaching of these Religions can be twisted and manipulated to justify gender bias. The Simple truth is people are treated very differently based on their Gender by followers of two of the most popular religions in the world: Islam and Judaism. I am going to examine some ways the teaching of these two major religions are used to oppress, abuse, and differentiate women.
Through searching different books, articles and documentaries on internet and media resources it can be deduced that National Identity is a subject that is mostly dealt indirectly by Media. A huge amount of literature and media projects are available all around the world on the subject but it addresses only specific regions and characteristics of national identity. For example rather than defining what National Identity itself is, most of the work is done about National language, National Heroes and National Heritage etc. National identity is a vast subject which directly or indirectly touches huge number of variegated subjects.
My paper studies the three most significant and most commonly known western religion Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in terms of the role that the woman played and a brief synopsis of the religions itself. Religion is a system of human though which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner’s experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity, or ultimate truth. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are the only religions that are based on a single creator and that are why they are called western religions. These three religions are monotheistic faiths practiced by about half of the world’s population. Believers of the three religions are found on every continent