Arkadeep Goswami

Who Does Belong? An Essay on the Idea, Contradictions and Struggle over Citizenship and Belonging in India: Part-2

Citizenship remains one of the most powerful legal institutions in the modern world. India's experience demonstrates that citizenship cannot be understood solely through legislation. The debates on the NRC, detention centres, the Rohingya, alleged push-backs and the CAA reveal not merely disagreements over policy, but also conflicting understandings of the constitutional republic itself. A democratic state indeed has the authority to regulate immigration, identify foreign nationals and secure its borders.

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Who Does Belong? An Essay on the Idea, Contradictions and Struggle over Citizenship and Belonging in India: Part-1

The history of citizenship in India demonstrates that it has never been a static or purely legal concept. From the commencement provisions of the Constitution, through the Citizenship Act of 1955 and its successive amendments, to the debates surrounding the NRC and the CAA, citizenship has continuously reflected broader struggles over the meaning of the Indian nation itself. The legal definition of who belongs has evolved alongside changing political realities and competing ideological visions.

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