CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article
Front. Sociol.
Sec. Migration and Society
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1568332
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Citizenship of International Migrants: Rethinking the Migration-Citizenship Nexus TodayView all 4 articles
The shifting of traditional understanding of citizenship due to international migration
Provisionally accepted
- 1Institute for Research on Population and Social Policy, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
- 2Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, France
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This article analyzes how migration has profoundly influenced the conception of citizenship by challenging the traditional state-citizen relationship and introducing transnational and European citizenship, which disconnects nationality from civic rights. In particular, our research questions are how migration has reshaped the conception of citizenship and what challenges migrants, refugees, stateless individuals, asylum seekers and environmentally displaced persons face in obtaining legal status in host countries. France is presented as a case study of the negotiations shaping the evolution of the conception of citizenship in relation to migration. Our literature review-based research highlighted the dissociation between nationality and citizenship and the emergence of migrant practices, like dual citizenship, transnationalism, and naturalization, which have redefined borders and forms of belonging, focused on residency and participation. Countries with long immigration histories have embraced diversity, multiculturalism, and anti-discrimination policies to integrate migrants. However, most people from the Global South face barriers to legal migration, resulting in populations without formal status, amid rising resistance to greater inclusion led by populist forces.
Keywords: citizenship, nationality, Migration, Globalization, Transnationalism, policies, European Union, France
Received: 29 Jan 2025; Accepted: 25 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Paparusso and WIHTOL De WENDEN. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Angela Paparusso, Institute for Research on Population and Social Policy, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
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