Facing up to complexity again: author’s reply to critics...
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy. First Online May 2022
This author’s reply responds to the commentary of Shuk Ying Chan, Stephanie Collins, Anna Stilz, and Ashwini Vasanthakumar on my 2021 book, Citizenship in a Globalised World. The response is structured around two broad themes: first, the choice to focus on the state and state-based citizenship in an argument that seeks a more just world order, and second, the attribution of moral responsibility to citizens – the question of to whom and how we attribute responsibility, both individual and collective. The reply also draws attention to the role of method and the starting points of this method in shaping the arguments of the book and how they should be received. In particular, I re-emphasize that Citizenship in a Globalised World argues for a re-orientation of how we think about state-based citizenship and its responsibilities. While the right action in complex spaces may not always be searingly clear, this collective, state-based but globally oriented conception of citizenship offers valuable theoretical resources to guide our navigation.