(all our camels in a line walking into the sunset- Sahara Desert)
The notion of citizenship is a universal concept, yet can also be very individualized and applied within specific contexts. As some of our classmates defined it, citizenship to a nation or society means abiding by the rules/regulations, but also taking certain responsibilities to aid with the advancement to the society as a whole. These rules/regulations that societies abide to differ from society to society, as do the responsibilities that a society encourages its citizens to have. There are also differences between the legal definition of citizenship and the social/cultural aspect of it. These differentiations alter the notions of citizenship from local levels to global.
From my time in Morocco, I’ve learned that on the local level, citizenship can become a very personal commitment one has with their nation. People define citizenship differently depending on their own identities, priorities and responsibilities. If a person is a minority within that society, a very religious person, or a person that has a lot of authority/power, they can respond differently to the question of what it means to be an active citizen or how one can better engage with their community. On the local level, citizenship is also often measured by engagement in the community. Most Moroccans, when asked if they consider themselves active citizens, almost always included within their answer an element of volunteering or community service. On the local level, citizenship is seen more as a collective effort, also highlighting the individuals personal sentiments and responsibilities.
On the global scale, the notion of citizenship tends to be viewed more in connection with nationality. With a few exceptions, everyone in the world is a citizen of a specific nation, and with that, the idea of a global citizen becomes more diminished. Since the notion of citizenship on a national scale is more focused on political participation rather than community engagement, we found more Moroccans using those terms to guage their level of citizenship on a national scale. More Moroccans claimed to be less active politically, yet more active socially in the context of citizenship.
This goes to show how complex the notion of citizenship is and how it can be expressed in very different ways, depending on the scale used to measure it. In order to improve the notion of citizenship, I believe that equal effort has to be made for higher engagement on both the local and global level. Although everything should feel allegiance to their specific nation, they should also think more outside the box, and think about how their citizenship affects others around the world. Also the level of engagement on the local level needs to correspond more with the national level.
