A new publication of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra analyzes the concept of "citizenship" and is committed to a "universal and cosmopolitan definition that integrates the religious, moral, and cultural diversity found in contemporary societies," as David Thunder, who is a research fellow with in the Religion and Civil Society project, explained.

The Ethics of the Citizenship in the XXI Century was published by Springer, the fourth best academic publisher according to Scholarly Publishers Indicators. It brings together texts presented at a conference with the same title held at the Institute in 2014.

David Thunder stresses the importance of practically defining what a citizen is since political choice and acceptance of moral and cultural norms in the social spectrum are based on it. He believes it is necessary to revise the traditional concept of citizenship because it requires behaviors and viewpoints that are alien to modern societies and lifestyles.

Thunder argues that, "the concept and practice of citizenship seems to be suffering from a deep crisis" due to the crisis of values ​​that shape the concept of a citizen that is civic-minded and responsible to his community. According to Thunder, in a globalized society with constant migratory movements, the traditional concept of “citizen,” defined by ethnicity, religion or culture, has lost relevance.

The researcher, along with other experts from universities such as Yale (USA), the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Italy) try to clarify this concept throughout the book’s chapters in order to provide practical solutions and constructive responses to the crisis of citizenship.

In particular, they focus on four issues: creating a new theory of “citizenship” adapted to modernity, defining the moral and emotional bonds that constitute the civic association, resolving the tensions between citizen duty and personal conscience, and creating a new multicultural civic ethos.

Chapters and authors

-‘What Is the Use of an Ethical Theory of Citizenship?’ David Thunder.

-‘Varieties of Citizenship and the Moral Foundations of Politics’ William English.

-‘Civic Motivation and Globalization: What Is It Like to Be a Good Citizen Today?’ Simon Keller.

-‘The Affective Dimension of Citizenship: A Platonic Account’ Emma Cohen De Lara.

-‘Conscientious Citizenship: Arendt and Aquinas on Conscience and Politics’ Angela C. Miceli Stout

-‘An Ethical Defense of Citizenship’ David Thunder.

-‘Confucian Citizenship of Shared Virtue’ David Elstein.

-‘From Social Practices to Reflective Agency: A Postsecular Ethics of Citizenship’ Paolo Monti.

-‘Liberal Citizenship and the Search for an Overlapping Consensus: The Case of Muslim Minorities’ Andrew F. March.