Allegiance, citizenship and the Law * The enigma of Belonging
Weaving together theoretical, historical, and legal approaches, this book offers a fresh perspective on the concept of allegiance and its revival in recent times, identifying and contextualising
its evolving association with theories of citizenship.
The book explores how allegiance was historically owed in return for the sovereign’s protection but has been redeployed by modern governments to justify the withdrawal of protection. It examine
s allegiance from multiple perspectives, including laws for the revocation of citizenship, new ideas of citizenship education, the doctrine of treason, oaths of allegiance, naturalisation tests, and
theories of belonging. This thought-provoking book ultimately finds allegiance to be a feudal concept that is inappropriate in the liberal democratic state, and is misplaced, even dangerous, in its
association with modern citizenship. Rejecting allegiance, but reaching a constructive resolution, it explores modern alternatives to describe the bond between citizens, advancing a new perspective
on the ‘enigma’ of belonging.
With its carefully constructed analysis, this work will prove pivotal in furthering our understanding of allegiance and citizenship. Its legal–theoretical account of a complex and under-theorised
concept make it valuable reading for legal and political theorists, legal historians, and scholars of citizenship, law, and social politics.
‘Focused on citizenship as legal status, Helen Irving meticulously excavates the complex past and present of allegiance in relation to the topic of citizenship. She shows us in detail how allegiance
works, how it links to acquisition and loss of citizenship, and how we should think about it in relation to contested topics such as dual citizenship. Until now, there has been a gap in the literature
of modern citizenship in relation to allegiance. Irving’s new book fills that gap.’
– Jo Shaw, University of Edinburgh, UK
