Canadian Club: Birthright Citizenship and National Belonging

by Lois Harder

Overview

Birth-based citizenship is widely considered to be the most secure claim to political belonging. Despite the general belief that liberal democracies are formed through consent, in fact, most people are members of a political community by virtue of the circumstances of their birth. In Canadian Club, Lois Harder tracks the development of Canada’s Citizenship Act from its first iteration in 1947 to the provisions governing the citizenship of children born abroad to Canadian parents with the assistance of reproductive technologies. Reviewing a range of cases, Harder reveals how membership in the Canadian political community relies on norms surrounding gender, family, and sexuality, as well as presumptions regarding the constitution of "authentic" national identity, racial hierarchy, and the rightness of settler colonialism.

Canadian Club concludes with a consideration of alternative approaches to forming political communities. Ultimately, it asks whether birth-based citizenship is the best we can do and what a more democratic and socially just alternative might look like.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781487547660
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	10/15/2022
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.28(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Lois Harder is Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and a professor of political science at the University of Victoria.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Operation Daddy, War Brides, and the Making of Canadians: Canadian Citizenship Law, or the Canadian National Family
3. Feminine Virtues and Lost Canadians
4. The Veranda of Citizenship: The 1977 Citizenship Act and After
5. Lost to Canada by Ordinary Means
6. Security and Birthright Citizenship Determination
7. Reproductive Technologies and "Maternity Tourism:" Jus sanguinis and Jus soli Redux
8. Alternatives
Bibliography

What People are Saying About This

Rainer Bauböck

"We tend to take it for granted that citizenship is acquired at birth in the territory or through descent. Tracing changes to Canadian birthright rules over time, Lois Harder demonstrates that birthright citizenship has always been an unstable political and legal construct. This is an exciting and provocative book that will greatly stimulate the debate on the future of birthright citizenship."

Audrey Macklin

"Lois Harder situates the under-explored history of Canadian citizenship against contemporary theoretical, comparative, and critical scholarship. Her rich and nuanced case studies are revealing, provocative, and wonderfully illuminating."

Jacqueline Stevens

"Canadian Club provides a fascinating analysis of laws and court cases revealing conundrums of citizenship policies. Harder's even-handed attention to prevailing liberal and communitarian theories of citizenship inform her illuminating queer, feminist critique. A great addition to any syllabus on citizenship and mobility."

Editorial Reviews

"Lois Harder situates the under-explored history of Canadian citizenship against contemporary theoretical, comparative, and critical scholarship. Her rich and nuanced case studies are revealing, provocative, and wonderfully illuminating."

—Audrey Macklin, Professor and Chair in Human Rights Law, University of Toronto

" Canadian Club provides a fascinating analysis of laws and court cases revealing conundrums of citizenship policies. Harder’s even-handed attention to prevailing liberal and communitarian theories of citizenship inform her illuminating queer, feminist critique. A great addition to any syllabus on citizenship and mobility."

—Jacqueline Stevens, Professor, Department of Political Science, Northwestern University

"We tend to take it for granted that citizenship is acquired at birth in the territory or through descent. Tracing changes to Canadian birthright rules over time, Lois Harder demonstrates that birthright citizenship has always been an unstable political and legal construct. This is an exciting and provocative book that will greatly stimulate the debate on the future of birthright citizenship."

—Rainer Bauböck, Professor, Global Governance Programme, European University Institute, Florence

From the Publisher