CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2014
| Author | Tjaden, Benjamin Otto |
|---|---|
| Title | Nationhood in Citizenship Tests and Loyalty Oaths: Evidence from Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands |
| Summary | In the last decade, several European states added citizenship tests and loyalty oaths to the naturalization procedure. One current in the literature asks why states adopt citizenship tests and loyalty oaths. To evaluate the purpose of tests and oaths I analyze conceptions of nationhood in Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands. I focus on legal definitions of ‘the nation’ as an object of loyalty and an object of knowledge. I find three distinct patterns. The Austrian ‘nation’ is defined by an 18th-20th century historical narrative, the Danish ‘nation’ is defined by people-oriented nationalist ideals, and the Dutch ‘nation’ is defined by banal lifestyle norms. I argue in each case the adoption of citizenship tests and loyalty oaths is largely symbolic, however, in certain cases they may be a form of immigration control. |
| Supervisor | Pelinka, Anton |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2014/tjaden_benjamin.pdf |
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