We explain what a citizen is and the evolution of this term in history. Also, what does it mean to be a good citizen.
What is Citizen?
The concept of citizen refers to who exercises his citizenshipa condition that characterizes the aforementioned civic category and that can be defined as a series of recognitions expressed in rights and obligations, both individual and social.
In everyday life we use the word citizen to refer to people who live in a city. This overlap of ideas arises in the historical concept of the term, which referred to the inhabitants of the so-called city-state.
In the case of Ancient Greece, the definition did not include all of them, since was limited to free men who were born in the city. Women, slaves, and foreigners, therefore, were outside that category. In this way a aristocracy (“government of the best”), and citizenship was limited to that.
In the case of the Roman Empire, There were different degrees of citizenship with privilegesbeing somewhat more inclusive than the Greek one. However, perhaps the crowning moment in this evolution was the French Revolution of 1789, in which the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity included all men born in the country, regardless of their social status (except criminals). The 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen', some years later, meant the consolidation of this expansion of the term.
The question of women's citizenship and their equality with men would come much later, and would be much more variable depending on each country, with extensions such as the right to vote, or equality in working conditions. However, it should be noted that even today in certain countries the fundamental rights of citizenship are not recognized for women.
In sum, The concept of citizen was modified over time: It went from alluding to belonging to a social class or relevance within a community to the mere fact of being born within the territory of a country.
In legal terms, one often speaks of citizens belonging to a specific nation. It is a link that creates capabilities and obligations, and that varies depending on the legislation of each country. In some cases, citizenship is admitted for the children of citizens, even if they were not born in the country. Thus, there are many people in the world who have dual citizenships, which grant them the same conditions as those born in the place (native citizens).
See also: Freedom of expression
What does it mean to be a good citizen?
The concept of citizenship, however, also has a side that surpasses the legal and objective framework. To the extent that it is believed that Coexistence in society is something that is built daily between everyonethe condition of good or bad citizen is given by the behaviors of individuals in their relationship with their neighbors.
Let's look at some examples of what “a good citizen” is expected to do:
- Comply with the country's obligations (tax, legal, democratic).
- Act with education and respect for others, especially with the elderly, children and the disabled.
- Get involved in making decisions that must be made within society, participating in the instances at your disposal and organizing to express the problems that arise.
- Help take care of the environment in which you live, thus caring for the next generations.
The family and primary relationships are the ones that will most help the child acquire these values, but also School is an important area in which you learn to be a good citizen. This is why there is, in many countries, a mandatory subject known as civic training or ethical and citizen training, which helps reinforce these key concepts for a good coexistence among all.
