Abstract

In this chapter – designed for undergraduate students – the state and citizenship are examined in terms of the effects and consequences of globalization and in the context of the most important sociological views on these issues. The key dimensions of globalization and its implications for the state and citizenship are described and analyzed. The chapter presents the main theories on globalization and the various approaches to analyze and understand this process.

Particular emphasis is given to both the changes in the functions of the nation-state and in the perceptions of sovereignty and citizenship in circumstances where the interdependence, the interrelations and the interactions among different states and societies are intensified to an unprecedented degree, as the flows of goods, capitals, people, technologies, knowledge and information, are accelerated to such an extent that time and space are condensed.

In this context, the concept of territory – fundamental for the traditional liberal conception about the state and citizenship – acquires a new meaning, and this is also considered in this chapter. Finally, the chapter considers the institutional and organizational dimensions of the global politics and governance and presents the debates about different forms of globalization and global governance.