From Citizen to Non-Existent. A Study of Bahrain’s Politics of Citizenship

Abstract

In 2011, Bahrain was one of the Arab countries which were affected by mass-scale protests. Since then, the relationship between the ruler and the ruled has deteriorated on several accounts. This thesis examines this relationship. It addresses the authorities’ politics of citizenship; that is, how they regulate the relationship between the state and the citizens. The situation in five arenas is described: (1) education, (2) employment, (3) religious freedom and cultural rights, (4) access to citizenship and (5) access to political participation. Particular attention is paid to how the public policies result in differentiated citizenship, in which different citizen statuses are attached to different groups in society. The thesis addresses the sectarian nature of these policies. Notwithstanding that all political opponents are targeted, members of the Shia population are particularly subjected to marginalization and degradation by the authorities. Concerning access to citizenship, the thesis assesses the politics of citizenship revocations in Bahrain, in which members of the political community are deprived of their citizenship. Citizenship revocations have been increasingly issued after the eruption of the popular uprising in 2011. In this way, the politics of citizenship in Bahrain are at worst resulting in citizens becoming non-existents within the state system.