COVID-19 and Its Impacts on the Concept of Citizenship
Subject Areas : Research in Theoritical Politics
بهرام اخوان کاظمی
1
,
سید جواد صالحی
2
,
حسین محسنی
3
1 -
2 -
3 -
Keywords:
Abstract :
COVID-19 and Its Impacts on the
Concept of Citizenship
Bahram Akhavan Kazemi*
Seyyed Javad Salehi**
Hossein Mohseni***
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 in China and its subsequent global spread acted as a challenge to humanity and its political and social life. The central research question is: What impacts has the COVID-19 pandemic had on the concept of citizenship? In response, it can be said that COVID-19 severely affected the four pillars of citizenship and created conditions that called the idea of stable citizenship into question. In other words, regarding the two pillars of membership and participation, its effects were such that they cannot be classified within either of the two models of republican or liberal citizenship. On the other hand, it increased the burden of citizens’ duties and obligations, emphasizing responsibilities over rights, which strengthened the model of republican citizenship. The research method is explanatory-analytical, and the data collection method is library-based and internet-based.
Keywords: Coronavirus, citizenship, membership, rights, duties.
Introduction
In the early days of 2020, the world experienced a new pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. One of the most important concepts affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was citizenship. Therefore, the authors first aim to present an analytical-theoretical framework regarding the concept of citizenship and, using an explanatory-analytical method and library and internet sources, examine how this impact has occurred.
Research Background
In this regard, it can be stated that numerous studies have been conducted, such as Citizenship in Times of Pandemic and The Importance of Citizenship and Competence in COVID-19 Treatment, among others. However, a study specifically addressing the topic of the present article has not yet been conducted. Based on this, the present research can be considered highly innovative in terms of both subject and content.
Theoretical Foundations: Citizenship and Its Four Pillars
In general, despite the many dimensions of citizenship, four main and fundamental pillars can be identified:
Membership: The first element in the discussion of citizenship is membership. In other words, citizenship is the same as membership in the political community. It can be said that the issue of membership lies at the center of the concept of citizenship, and in its specific meaning, it reflects the individual’s participation in society for the purpose of shaping their community.
Rights: Rights are crucial for successfully addressing major governance issues, such as the need for fair resource distribution and maintaining order. The importance of rights lies in granting political agency to individuals and recognizing them as worthy of respect and attention.
Duties: The concept of citizenship contains a paradox; that is, this concept encompasses not only rights but also duties and obligations. Therefore, citizens must assume responsibilities in relation to their citizenship rights.
Participation: The fourth pillar of citizenship is participation. Political participation is central for linking rights and responsibilities.
Analysis of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Citizenship
COVID-19 and Citizenship Membership
To combat the spread of the disease, many countries moved away from multilateralism and pursued more protectionist and nationalist policies. The mobilization of state power in response to the spread of COVID-19 led to the exclusion of some individuals and the inclusion of others. Activities that constitute citizenship itself came under pressure due to the pandemic. Furthermore, in all areas affected by the pandemic, civil registration and asylum procedures were disrupted. On the other hand, travel restrictions undoubtedly limited what can be called one of the “markets” of citizenship—that is, markets related to easy citizenship or “birthright citizenship.”
COVID-19 and Citizenship Rights
In the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many civil, political, social, and cultural rights were suspended. For instance, rights such as freedom of movement, access to information, and transparency were significantly undermined. Therefore, it can be said that the pandemic temporarily facilitated a shift from rights to duties, emphasizing obligations over rights. Only rights such as the right to health were strongly prioritized, while other dimensions were somewhat marginalized (though not entirely).
COVID-19 and Citizenship Duties
With the outbreak of COVID-19, a clear increase in citizens’ duties and obligations became evident, particularly as legal obligations. During the pandemic, legal duties generally outweighed moral or ethical responsibilities. Citizens who failed to comply with quarantine measures faced various fines and penalties.
COVID-19 and Citizenship Participation
It can be argued that a pandemic like COVID-19 forces both individuals and governments to prioritize decision-making without citizen participation over decisions based on shared contractual rationality. In other words, since the government’s duty is to maintain security and protect citizens’ health, it cannot wait for public consensus on how to respond to a widespread crisis. Consequently, with the increasing spread of COVID-19 and rising mortality rates worldwide, the rights of citizens in relation to participation in urban or civic politics were effectively set aside.
Conclusion
Given these developments, a central question arises: in light of the pandemic’s effects on the four dimensions of citizenship, which direction has citizenship taken—toward the republican or liberal model? Regarding membership, which is foundational to citizenship, both liberal and republican traditions emphasize it, although they differ in implementation. The pandemic disrupted these mechanisms, placing membership outside the conventional frameworks of both models.
Regarding rights and duties, the liberal model prioritizes individual rights, emphasizing individual autonomy over collective obligations, whereas the republican model prioritizes societal duties over individual rights. The pandemic reinforced the republican emphasis on duties, as citizens’ responsibilities increased.
Finally, participation, a key dimension in both liberal and republican models, was weakened during the pandemic. Given that both models rely on active citizen engagement, participation under COVID-19 cannot be fully classified within either framework. Overall, the pandemic highlighted a shift in citizenship toward the republican model in terms of duties and rights while simultaneously limiting participation in ways not accounted for by traditional models.
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* Professor, Department of Political Science, Shiraz University, Iran.
kazemi@shirazu.ac.ir
Professor, Department of Political Science, Shiraz University, Iran.
kazemi@shirazu.ac.ir
** Corresponding author: Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, University of Tehran, Iran.
S.javad.salehi@ut.ac.ir
*** Ph.D Student, Political Science, Shiraz University, Iran.
