Bicultural Identity Integration

Abstract

Notions of citizenship and civic identity are central to political theory and political psychology. We explore the various meanings of civic identity, and suggest that the concept is best understood as having subjective, ethical, and political facets. The prominence of civic identity in constructions of citizenship is then considered. We use civic identity embedded in the context of citizenship to refract contemporary debates concerning globalization and immigration. Our review suggests that civic identity figures prominently in each debate, with proponents of different perspectives in these debates varying in their views about the kinds of civic identities morally desirable and politically necessary. In the final section, data from a large international survey of adolescents are used to explore the relations of different facets of civic identity and citizenship. We conclude with suggestions for future research and conceptual exploration.