, SED2601 ASSIGNMENT 3 2026 ANSWERS - DUE DATE 23 JULY 2026
QUESTION 1
1.1 Explanation of Concepts
a. Citizenship
In advanced political theory, citizenship is conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct
representing full, formal membership within a bounded political community, traditionally a
nation-state. It is not merely a legal status but a dynamic site of political struggle, reciprocal
duties, and social identity. This identity encompasses three mutually reinforcing dimensions:
a legal status of rights (civil, political, and social), active political agency, and a shared
psychological identity or sense of belonging to a polity (Kymlicka & Norman, 2000; Carens,
2000).
b. Citizen
A citizen is an individual member of a political community who is endowed with civil,
political, and social rights, and who conversely owes allegiance and duties to that sovereign
community. Unlike a mere subject under an authoritarian ruler, a citizen is a co-sovereign in
the democratic process. Theoretically, a citizen is defined as an agent who enjoys the rights
and assumes the duties of membership within a self-governing political unit, serving as both
a participant in and a protector of the collective rule of law (Leydet, 2017).
c. Elitism
Elitism is a paradigm in political sociology asserting that all societies, regardless of their
democratic ideals, are inevitably divided into a powerful, organized minority that controls
key decision-making processes and a disorganized majority. Classical elite theorists argue
that a cohesive, resource-rich minority will always dominate public policy, as formalized by
Robert Michels’s "Iron Law of Oligarchy," which posits that complex organizational
bureaucracies naturally concentrate power at the top (Mosca, 1939; Michels, 1911).
QUESTION 1
1.1 Explanation of Concepts
a. Citizenship
In advanced political theory, citizenship is conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct
representing full, formal membership within a bounded political community, traditionally a
nation-state. It is not merely a legal status but a dynamic site of political struggle, reciprocal
duties, and social identity. This identity encompasses three mutually reinforcing dimensions:
a legal status of rights (civil, political, and social), active political agency, and a shared
psychological identity or sense of belonging to a polity (Kymlicka & Norman, 2000; Carens,
2000).
b. Citizen
A citizen is an individual member of a political community who is endowed with civil,
political, and social rights, and who conversely owes allegiance and duties to that sovereign
community. Unlike a mere subject under an authoritarian ruler, a citizen is a co-sovereign in
the democratic process. Theoretically, a citizen is defined as an agent who enjoys the rights
and assumes the duties of membership within a self-governing political unit, serving as both
a participant in and a protector of the collective rule of law (Leydet, 2017).
c. Elitism
Elitism is a paradigm in political sociology asserting that all societies, regardless of their
democratic ideals, are inevitably divided into a powerful, organized minority that controls
key decision-making processes and a disorganized majority. Classical elite theorists argue
that a cohesive, resource-rich minority will always dominate public policy, as formalized by
Robert Michels’s "Iron Law of Oligarchy," which posits that complex organizational
bureaucracies naturally concentrate power at the top (Mosca, 1939; Michels, 1911).
