Citizenship, Social Inclusion and Community Engagement Lena Dominelli Durham University Email: Lena.Dominelli@durham.ac.uk
City of Durham, UK
Citizenship and Social Exclusion Citizenship, in theory, is a status of acceptance that recognises an individual as belonging to a particular geographic location and as a consequence of that as being entitled to be socially included in a specific society and have access to social, political and economic rights. Linked to the nation-state. Is differentiated in practice, so that citizenship becomes a form of social exclusion, that is, being denied access to social rights and resources. Is individualised and individualising. Others the non-citizen as alien.
Citizenship T H Marshall identified three types of citizenship: Political (votes and representation) Economic (work for a living) Social (entitlement based welfare state). I would add a fourth sustainable environments at local, national and international levels. Citizenship as entitlement through the welfare state sought to address marginalisation, disenfranchisement and powerlessness. Poverty, illness, education and unemployment are key issues that welfare-based citizenship sought to solve. Now add safe, non-polluted, non-violent environments
You don t belong here Narratives of Place and Space Let s share this land This is our land too Narratives of Place and Space Become like us We re human beings too You can t get along without us Source: Dominelli, L, Anti-Racist Social Work, Palgrave, 3 rd Edn
Responses to Exclusionary Relations Responses to narratives of space and place vary from oppressive rejection to inclusive egalitarian frameworks Segregation (you don t belong here) Assimilation (become like us) Multiculturalism (we re human beings too) Integration (this is our land too) Interculturalism (we re human beings too) Anti-racism Black, Asian and Afri-centric perspectives Egalitarianism that values diversity (let s share this land) Several of these discourses may co-exist in any one place or time.
In prioritising security, globalisation becomes exclusionary and undermines justice Security becomes a means for controlling people and resources rather than eradicating injustices. Security is used to destroy opposition and manage disaffected peoples. The nation-state becomes drawn into the security framework to control and manage its own nationals and exclude non-nationals from making claims on it. Managing discontent and keeping labour in check are part of the nation-state s tasks. The new world order is part of a networked system that has elites and capital cross borders with ease.
The Shape of the New World Order Source: Calculations are based on Hutton (1995:109) and ILO (2000). For further details, see note (3).
Globalisation has Produced a New World Order For Whom? Globalisation is a socio-political and economic system that has deepened capitalist social relations and economic integration; Produced asymmetrical power relations and an asymmetrical distribution of power and resources; Resulted in environmental degradation; and Produced winners and losers. The losers are the majority of the world s people and the planet. The winners are primarily 946 individuals, who as billionaires hold $US 3.5 trillion and own and control the world s largest corporations. They form an unaccountable elite who: follow neo-liberal ideologies in which the market is king (yes, it excludes women) shape social policies within nation states, distort development to make money (for themselves) assuage their guilt through philanthropy when they retire from the money-making business.
Inequalities Result in Income Security Only for Some Income and wealth distribution have become increasingly polarised. The top 20 per cent of the world s population has accumulated 86 per cent of the wealth in the last 30 years; the lowest 20 per cent controls only 1.3 per cent. This has resulted in a North-South differential that rose from 2 to 1 in the 18th century to 70 to 1 in 2002 (George, 2003:18-19). To put it more graphically, the richest 3 people in 2007 had between them more than the total gross domestic product of the 48 poorest countries. An employee at the top of the corporate ladder in the West earns 200 to 300 times more than the average worker compared to 40 to 60 times more during the 1960s and 1970s (George, 2003:19).
The major tenets of neo-liberalism redefine the bases of social inclusion Neo-liberalism s tenets privilege wealthy elites by: Liberalising trade Privatising industries including public utilities Cutting social benefits Commodifying social relationships Reducing professional power Turning service users into consumers Making profits for the few justified as rewarding those who take risks Private ownership of the earth s resources Disregarding future generations rights to the earth s resources
Poverty Undermines Well-being Susan George argues that Article 23 of the UDHR is relevant to poverty eradication strategies because it asserts that: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and wellbeing including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood (George, 2003:17).
Interactive dimensions of exclusion Cultural exclusion Personal exclusion Complex Interactive Negotiations of Exclusion and Inclusion Institutional exclusion
New roles for the nation-state The nation state assumes global, not domestic priorities, i.e., keeps the nation open for business. The nation-state becomes part of the security apparatus that excludes the excluded by subverting domestic priorities away from caring for its people to caring about the market and its capacity to entrench itself as the source of social and economic resources privatisation, the commissioning state and the enabling state are about allowing capital to flex its muscles, not ordinary people who are treated as expendable (labour) parts. The nation-state becomes part of a new social hierarchy where selfperpetuating elites are drawn into a new energy imperialism that skews social development away from local people. Civil society organisations assume a role in this by picking up the pieces in a mixed economy of welfare that minimises the state s role as a provider of services and being crucial in providing humanitarian aid in disaster situations. CSOs/NGOs are now part of the mission of spreading democracy.
The multiplicity and specificity of oppression and exclusion Each form of exclusion and oppression has its own specific characteristics. Focusing on a particular form of oppression helps to understand better and address its unique points, e.g., racism, sexism, ageism, disablism. Hierarchies of exclusion/oppression suggest greater or lesser values require people who experience multiple oppressions to choose between them. A person enduring multiple oppressions needs all of them to be eliminated. Multiple exclusions and oppressions are interactive. The dynamics of exclusion and oppression can be reproduced, altered or resisted. Resistance to exclusion and oppression is key to securing socially inclusionary relationships. Commonalities in the processes of exclusion and oppression include: operating at all levels and interstices of everyday life othering people or creating dyads of inclusion and exclusion normalising some people at the expense of others valuing commonalities but devaluing differences denying people agency and control over their lives in the personal, institutional and cultural domains reproducing inegalitarian social relations in the micro-, meso- and macro-spheres
Globalisation Prioritises Techno-Security not Social Justice or Human Rights The nation-state becomes drawn into the security framework to control and manage its own nationals and exclude non-nationals from making claims on its welfare provisions. Managing discontent and keeping the demands of labour in check are part of this task. Techno-security involves maintaining control over people and the earth s resources and is prioritised over eradicating injustices. Techno-security is used to destroy opposition and to manage disaffected people. The surveillance society epitomises techno-security. The new world order is part of a networked system that allows elites and capital to cross borders with ease, while preventing unskilled workers or ordinary people from doing so.
Gilesgate Example Gilesgate is a poor community with multiple social problems in Northern Durham. University-Community Partnership. Builds on community strengths. Led by community social workers. A range of projects. Celebrating women s achievements. Encouraging young people to dream. Promoting employment opportunities.
Gilesgate Fuel Poverty Project Addressing Fuel Poverty. Multi-disciplinary approach. Smart technologies to cut costs. Alternative, Renewal Energies. Bringing in other players, e.g., Housing Associations, civil society organisations, local businesses interested in renewable energy sources and creating jobs in the locality. Sustainable employment opportunities. Communities under stress.
Communities Under Stress Project WP3 Community Themes Interactive visualization tools Health and Well-being HPA, NEPHO, Civil Society Orgs. Agent-based simulations Non-linear stability analysis Meta-modeling and uncertainty Identity, Acceptance and Belonging in a Globalising World Poverty and Social inclusion Gov. Departments Dept. CLG Civilian authorities Primary Care Trusts Private Firms Local Authorities OneNE NorthStar WP1 Theoretical Constructs WP2 Complexity Tools Policy Engagement Knowledge Exchange
Actions Social Workers Can Undertake to Promote More Inclusive Citizenship Work holistically. Work to redefine citizenship and move it away from notions that fix it to the nation state and social exclusion, e.g., notions of entitlement within a global citizenship. Identify the failure of globalisation to overcome poverty and promote the well-being of peoples across the world and the environment. Undertake research that identifies growing structural inequalities at local and global levels. Information is needed for change. Lobby for changes in policy and practice and aim for poverty eradication and promoting social inclusion as the aim. Mobilise and campaign alongside people who seek to access services. Develop transnational professional links to demand change that enhances peoples well-being. Acknowledge interdependencies between peoples and between people and the environment (global).
Agency Physical Environment Social and Cultural Relations International Domain Holistic Intervention Chart for Empowering Anti-Oppressive Practice R e s o u r c e s National Society Community Family Person R e f l e x I v I t y Source: Dominelli, L (2002) Anti-Oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice (Palgrave) Spirituality, Faith Affiliation and Values Political and Economic Forces Power Relations
What Else Can Social/Community Workers Do? Analyse the new world order in terms of who benefits at the local (including neighbourhood) level. Work with local communities and politicians to develop strategies that develop alternative social, economic and political structures, harness people s energies to work collectively to secure social justice, equality and wellbeing of all (ending neo-liberalism s preoccupation with materialistic individualism). Help local communities mobilise and organise to enhance well-being and care for people, the environment and the planet. Develop links and alliances with other like-minded peoples across the world. The internet can facilitate this. Support demands for corporate accountability. Practice holistically to link personal attributes and structural inequalities in their change endeavours.
C E L E B R A T I N G E Q U A L I T Y
References Barlett, D L and Steele, J D (1998) Corporate Welfare: Special Report in Time, 9 November. Department of Health (DH) (2003) Every Child Matters. London: DH. Dominelli, L (2004) Practising Social Work in a Globalising World in Tang, T N and Rowlands, A (eds) Social Work Around the World III. Berne: IASSW. George, S (2003) Globalizing Rights? in M J Gibney (ed) Globalizing Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hutton, W (1995) The State We re In. London: Jonathan Cape. International Labour Organisation (ILO) (2000) World Labour Report, 2000. Geneva: ILO Kroll, L and Fass, A (2007) The World s Billionaires, Forbes Magazine, Special Report, 8 March. Ungar, M (2002) A Deeper, More Social Ecological Social Work Practice in Social Services Review, Vol. 76, pp. 480-497.