Immigration and citizenship debates: reflections of ten common themes

"This article begins with the view that access to citizenship and to citizenship rights has become the principal object of struggle between immigrants and the rest of society in Western Europe.... In examining ten recurring themes of current debates on immigration and citizenship, the author hopes to summarise and critically examine the main arguments. The article also tries to show that arguments against the extension of rights to immigrants generally give priority to collective rather than individual rights. In this way, human rights violations towards immigrants are sanctioned (and sometimes even recommended) by socialist and conservative writers alike.... This article concentrates on themes relating to the acquisition of citizenship in the metropolitan state by immigrants from the former colonies." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)