Citizen Pledges and National Values: Narrating and Racializing Australian Citizenship

Abstract

The ‘pledge of commitment’ is a central element of Australian citizenship. This paper explores how the performance of the pledge narrates the citizen subject. It argues that the citizen subject is narrated as embodying three national values: loyalty, unity and social cohesion. This paper then argues that these values are racially coded. Narrating Australian citizenship in this way creates a more precarious form of citizenship for migrants generally, and Muslims in particular. The paper concludes by encouraging legal scholars to be more critical of citizenship law, paying particular attention to the narration of the citizen subject at ceremonial occasions. Show more