Citizenship: The hidden backbone of constitutional identity

This chapter examines Dutch constitutional identity through the lens of citizenship, situating citizenship within the broader constitutional framework and studying the impact of (changing) notions of citizenship in conceptualising the identity of Dutch constitutional law. The European dimension of citizenship is an integral part of the chapter, as we regard citizenship as composite citizenship: composed of different governmental layers from which citizens derive rights and possibilities to participate. We explore its relationship with Dutch constitutional identity using three important features: delineating the political community and organising political participation; fundamental rights and duties; and pluralism, in- and exclusion. Based on this exploration, we find that citizenship is the hidden backbone of Dutch constitutional identity. Citizenship remains a concept that is difficult to grasp yet has a key role in defining (political) belonging in the Netherlands while also functioning as a criterion for differentiation, determining entitlements and sometimes reinforcing inequalities. Its composite nature also creates ties between different layers of governmental structures as well as between different (groups or (legal) categories of) citizens.