Abstract

This article proposes a theoretical discussion of the concept of citizenship in light of some key cases decided by the Court of Justice of the European Union in recent years. By adopting the point of view of those who are excluded from (or only partially included within) citizenship, the European membership presents some peculiar features when compared to the national models around which the notion of citizenship has been structured in legal, political and social theory. As such, European membership can be seen either as a space of contradiction between inclusive and exclusive dynamics or as the strategic terrain for a critique based on the material experiences of the social agents who move around the European space.