Citizenship, Diversity, and Pluralism: Canadian and Comparative Perspectives

Citizenship has both a vertical and a horizontal dimension. The vertical links individuals to the state by reinforcing the idea that it is "their" state - that they are full members of an ongoing association that is expected to survive the passing generations. Accordingly their relation to the state is not narrowly instrumental but is supported by a reservoir of loyalty and patriotism that gives legitimacy to the state. The horizontal relationship is the positive identification with fellow citizens as valued members of the same civic community. Here citizenship reinforces empathy and sustains solidarity through its official endorsement of who counts as "one of us." Citizenship, therefore, is a linking mechanism that in its most perfect expression binds the citizenry to the state and to each other.