Globalisation and Mobility: The Changing Ideal of Citizenship in the Modern City-State of Singapore

Citizenship is an identity-category which nation-states develop, both to define the rights and duties of their members, and to encourage social cohesiveness and loyalty. However, under the relentless impact of globalisation, conventional values of citizenship are being reinterpreted. This paper attempts to redefine citizenship within changing social and economic contexts. With intensifying globalisation and increasing mobility of its citizens who travel frequently beyond the state's borders, city-state Singapore provides an opportunity to examine the complexities it has faced, as it seeks to consolidate and globalise its economic operations. Citizens find their lives increasingly influenced by factors extraneous to their state. The resulting ‘crisis of citizenship’ is hence raised and evaluated.