Promotional Information

How citizenship has been increasingly devalued as governments extend rights to foreign populations and how, in turn, international human rights law has overshadowed traditional definitions of sovereignty.

About the Author

David Jacobson is a professor of Sociology at Arizona State University.

Reviews

This short book is broad in scope, arguing for the existence of a 'paradigmatic shift' from nation-state sovereignty to the prevalence of international human rights norms in the 'Euro-Atlantic core.'. -- Susanne Schmeidl and Sarah Wayland International Migration Review [Jacobson] develops a powerful case for the proposition that 'transnational migration is steadily eroding the traditional basis of nation-state membership, namely citizenship,' a phenomenon accompanied by a rise in the importance of international or 'universal' human rights. -- Martin O. Heisler Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science This short but well-written book addresses a neglected aspect of the contemporary decline of the nation-state. It studies in depth the criteria by which France, Germany, and the United States distinguish between citizen and alien, from the political-territorial definition of the French to the ethno-cultural one of the Germans. -- Francis Fukuyama Foreign Affairs Jacobson challenges scholars to rethink their views of the state. Current theories of political sociology and international relations are rooted in conceptions that, he feels, are losing their relevance and bite... A thought-provoking book. -- Lawrence M. Friedman Law and Politics Book Review Few people discussing national and cultural identity or citizenship have looked at the legal ramifications of immigration. David Jacobson fills this gap in his important book. -- Jeff Spinner-Halev American Political Science Review A compelling explanation of the intersection between transnational migration and human rights norms. It will be of interest to scholars of both international migration and human rights as well as a general reading audience interested in questions regarding immigration and citizenship -- Debra DeLaet Perspectives on Political Science