342.11
Naturalisation and the Birth of 'new' Citizens - Assessing What Is to be a National Citizen from the Perspectice of Naturalised Citizens in Portugal
Naturalisation and the Birth of 'new' Citizens - Assessing What Is to be a National Citizen from the Perspectice of Naturalised Citizens in Portugal
Tuesday, 17 July 2018
Location: 707 (MTCC SOUTH BUILDING)
Distributed Paper
This paper derives from a project (Pluridemos) that aims, among other goals, to assess how the new Portuguese citizens of migrant descent experience their full citizenship; to map their visions about the meanings of Portuguese national identity, and to reflect on how such meanings may colide, complement, change or reaffirm the common visions that tend to be more common about Portuguese national identity.
The Portuguese Nationality Law, defined in 2006, has been considered one of the most progressive in Europe and is often evaluated as the best example in integration policies (Huddleston et al 2015). Following one decade of its implementation, thousands of persons acquired Portuguese citizenship. According to Oliveira and Gomes (2016) between 2007 and 2014, Portuguese nationality was granted to 310,693 individuals, with a refusal rate of 5.7%, which contrast with 14,865 concessions with a 30% rejection rate in the period between 2001 and 2006.
The paper explains, first, that the country's bailout did not have a negative outcome on the legal frame and on the rates of those interested in acquiring Portuguese nationality. In other words, the Portuguese Nationality Law still keeps its initial glamour that attracted thousands of new Portuguese citizens.
Second, the paper addresses the question: what is to be a "Portuguese citizen" from the perspective of the new citizens; what is that they value most in their identity definition; and, most in particular (following previous research interests) we assess how they describe and evaluate their own citizenship experinces regarding political rights in Portugal.
We deem these questions as very important in order to understand the role that "new citizens" may have in the active and continuous making of "national identity" as a collective, dynamic, and non-fixed project. Hence also our choice for this Session as the best to accommodate our work.
The Portuguese Nationality Law, defined in 2006, has been considered one of the most progressive in Europe and is often evaluated as the best example in integration policies (Huddleston et al 2015). Following one decade of its implementation, thousands of persons acquired Portuguese citizenship. According to Oliveira and Gomes (2016) between 2007 and 2014, Portuguese nationality was granted to 310,693 individuals, with a refusal rate of 5.7%, which contrast with 14,865 concessions with a 30% rejection rate in the period between 2001 and 2006.
The paper explains, first, that the country's bailout did not have a negative outcome on the legal frame and on the rates of those interested in acquiring Portuguese nationality. In other words, the Portuguese Nationality Law still keeps its initial glamour that attracted thousands of new Portuguese citizens.
Second, the paper addresses the question: what is to be a "Portuguese citizen" from the perspective of the new citizens; what is that they value most in their identity definition; and, most in particular (following previous research interests) we assess how they describe and evaluate their own citizenship experinces regarding political rights in Portugal.
We deem these questions as very important in order to understand the role that "new citizens" may have in the active and continuous making of "national identity" as a collective, dynamic, and non-fixed project. Hence also our choice for this Session as the best to accommodate our work.