El (im)posible ciudadano extranjero. Ciudadanía y nacionalidad en Argentina

Abstract

Efforts to extend migrant rights have enabled, in various current migration scenarios, debates about nationality as the sole basis of citizenship and the extension of political rights to foreign residents. Our starting point is a pragmatic position that examines national contexts and specific political moments, and that evaluates the most convenient ways to ensure foreigners’ unconditional and full participation in the community where they live. We maintain that arguments for incorporating residency as a criteria to grant political rights to foreigners should not neglect the localized functioning of a traditional mechanism for becoming citizens: nationalization —suggestively labeled naturalization—. This viewpoint is particularly relevant in countries such as Argentina, where nationalization appears as a simple process and serves as an excuse to prevent deep debates over the importance of extending the right to vote to foreigners.