Question 10 (d)
Marshall's theory of citizenship (short note)
9 marks
- Time to write
- About 18 minutes
Question
Question 10 (d) · 9 marksWrite brief notes on Any Two from the following: (d) Marshall's theory of citizenship
Reworded from the university paper; the task is the same. The original paper belongs to the University of Delhi. See DU's question bank.
Before you write
Read off the question and its marks
Read from the question
- Any TwoThe paper asks for any 2, and this is one of them. Only 2 are marked: a third earns nothing.
- notes onA note opens with the meaning, then two or three key points. No long introduction.
Write it in this order
- Read; underline the asks; jot your points 1 min
- 1 The theory 5 marks 9 min
- 2 Significance and criticism 4 marks 7 min
- Check: every ask answered, key terms underlined 1 min
Short on time? Trim steps 1 and 2 evenly rather than skip one: each is capped at its own marks.
Try it first. About 18 minutes for 9 marks. Write it out, then open the solution.
Solution
Hover or tap a marked figure, like 72,000, to see how it is made and where else it appears.
Marshall's theory of citizenship
The British sociologist T. H. Marshall (1893-1981) gave, in Citizenship and Social Class (1950), what NCERT calls a widely accepted account of how citizenship relates to equality and rights. Marshall defined citizenship as "a status bestowed on those who are full members of a community", adding that all who hold the status are equal in the rights and duties attached to it. NCERT's own short definition is close to his: full and equal membership of a political community.
Equality at the centre. The key idea is equality, in two senses: the rights and duties that make up citizenship improve in quality, and the number of people on whom they are bestowed grows.
Three kinds of rights. Citizenship, for Marshall, carries civil rights, which protect the individual's life, liberty and property; political rights, which let the individual take part in governance; and social rights, which give access to education and employment. Together they allow the citizen a life of dignity. NCERT's list for most democracies today runs the same way: political rights such as the vote, civil rights such as freedom of speech or belief, and socio-economic rights such as a minimum wage or education.
Citizenship and class. Marshall treated social class as a system of inequality; citizenship, by giving everyone an equal status, works against the divisive effects of class hierarchy and so helps build a better-integrated and more harmonious community. This fits NCERT's wider point that legal and political equality is a first step that often needs equality of opportunity to support it.
Limits. (1) Equal status was not simply handed down: NCERT stresses that each of today's rights was won through struggle, from the revolts against monarchies and the anti-colonial movements to the long fight of black South Africans that lasted until the early 1990s, and in India the women's and Dalit movements still press for equal rights and opportunities. (2) A list of rights says little about duties among citizens; NCERT adds that citizenship also carries moral obligations to take part in and contribute to the shared life of the community.
Where the 9 marks sit
| # | Component | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The theory | 5 |
| 2 | Significance and criticism | 4 |
| Total | 9 |
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