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British citizenship, gender and migration: the containment of cultural differences and the stratification of belonging
Version 2 2023-06-12, 06:37
Version 1 2023-06-09, 00:17
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 06:37 authored by Linda MorriceLinda MorriceDebates about integration, British values and identity, who can belong and who can become a citizen, have been fuelled by concerns about growing cultural diversity in the United Kingdom. To promote a shared sense of national identity and claim a universal and normative citizen subject, the UK government, along with many other western nations, has introduced compulsory citizenship and language testing. This article traces and critiques the evolution of the British citizenship test since its introduction in 2005 and argues that the regime fails to recognise the gendered and segmented nature of migration, and functions as a silent and largely invisible mechanism of civic stratification and control. Drawing on Home Office data, it is argued that citizenship testing enables the government to cherry pick migrants who conform to an idealised citizen subject, while containing cultural difference by excluding others, particularly women, who are tolerated but remain symbolic non-citizens.
Funding
Cultural Values from the Subaltern Perspective: A Phenomenology of Refugees' Experience of British Cultural Values; G1151; AHRC-ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL; AH/L005409/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
British Journal of Sociology of EducationISSN
0142-5692Publisher
Taylor and FrancisExternal DOI
Issue
5Volume
30Page range
597-609Department affiliated with
- Education Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2016-02-12First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-02-08First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-02-12Usage metrics
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