Testing citizenship and allegiance

Abstract

This article examines recent UK government policy and proposals relating to immigration and citizenship, and the ways in which these policies are presented as means of securing allegiance and integration. From 1997, the incoming Labour government emphasized the importance of informed, active citizenship and social justice. From 2001, the emphasis shifted to community cohesion, with immigrants identified as a potential threat to cohesion. The article analyses the knowledge required of new settlers through the `citizenship test', introduced in 2005, and the assumptions made about immigrants and about British culture and society in the test. It critiques the concepts of `active citizenship', `earned citizenship' and `probationary citizenship' in the 2008 Green Paper, The Path to Citizenship . These policy proposals, if enacted, threaten migrants' employment opportunities, risk creating barriers to participation and undermining social cohesion. They place unrealistic demands on aspirant citizens, which are not placed on established citizens.