(E)MERGING VOICES: UNDERSTANDING CONSTRUCTIONS OF CITIZENSHIP FROM THE ECONOMIC MARGINS

Abstract

Using feminist theory as a background, this study explores the relationship between citizenship and economic identities, specifically looking at how those living in poverty define citizenship. Whether political or social in nature, citizenship as both an identity and a political construct influences the lives of all Americans. Feminist theorists (Jaggar, 2006; Kymlicka & Norma, 1994; Lister, 1997; 2003; Young, 2000) have long argued that citizenship excludes certain individuals on the basis of gender, racial, sexual, economic, and national identities. Yet, as this study aims to explore, do those who are thought to be excluded from citizenship understand themselves as excluded? In order to investigate the materiality of the theoretical claims of citizenship’s exclusivity, this study turns to the perspectives of antipoverty activists from two Midwest-based organizations. Pulling from interview data, this paper explores how the participants define citizenship in their own words and whether they aspire to create a more inclusionary approach to citizenship for low-income individuals.