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Aanchal Seth, Panjab University, IndiaAbstract
Can global citizenship be fully understood without grounding it in land, access, and shared belonging? Contemporary conversations often frame citizenship in terms of mobility, rights, and global ethics—but tend to overlook the material and ecological foundations that shape how people live and participate in the world. This paper argues that common lands—such as forests, pastures, and water bodies—are not just resources but political spaces where citizenship is negotiated and lived. Drawing on political theory and historical struggles over access and autonomy, the paper reframes citizenship as a practice rooted in place, ecology, and collective responsibility. It challenges the assumption that global citizenship must be disembodied and universal, instead highlighting how deeply local practices of stewardship, mutual obligation, and land-based identity offer alternative models of participation and justice. The paper also reflects on how leadership over commons often resists formal state authority, emerging through customary norms, dialogue, and shared use. By focusing on land as both a right and a relationship, this work contributes to reimagining citizenship in a time of ecological uncertainty and political fragmentation. It invites a rethinking of what it means to belong, to lead, and to collaborate in a shared world.
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Conference: KAMC2025Stream: Politics and Philosophy
This paper is part of the KAMC2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Seth A. (2026) Beyond Borders: Rethinking Global Citizenship Through Common Land, Collective Belonging, and the Politics of Ecological Participation ISSN: 2436-0503 – The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 703-713) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.57
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.57
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