چکیده (انگلیسی):

The aim of this special thematic section is to bring together recent social psychological research on the topic of citizenship
with a view to discerning the emerging trends within the field and its potential contributions to the broader interdisciplinary area
of citizenship studies. Eight papers spanning diverse theoretical traditions (including social identity , social representations and
discursive approaches) apply an array of methods to consider different aspects of citizenship across a variety of cultural and
national contexts. Some focus on individuals’ perceptions and discussions of citizenship, others examine the group dynamics
which flow from these understandings, and the rest examine the potential for citizenship to exclude as well as include
marginalised communities. While diverse, the contributions share some core commonalities: all share a concern in trying to
understand citizenship from the perspective of the citizen; all conceptualise citizenship as an active and reflective process
occurring between members of a community; and all highlight the irreducibly social and collective nature of the experience
and practice of citizenship in everyday life. We propose that these elements of convergence have the potential to give the
social psychology of citizenship a solid basis and recognisable profile in order to contribute to the broader arena of citizenship
studies.