Nativism and second-generation migrants in Greece: differentiating between ethnic and civic elements of citizenship

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Greek citizenship model, for its biggest part, has been on the ethnocultural path. In 2010, the ethnocultural character of Greek citizenship became antagonized by Law 3838/2010. According to the law, migrant children born or schooled in the country had an automatic right to the acquisition of Greek citizenship. This paper investigates parliamentary and legal debates on citizenship during the period 2009–2015. It brings to the fore a nativist (ethnicized) discourse and other linked stories, which were voiced by certain political actors and promoted a clear differentiation between ethnic and civic elements of Greek citizenship. Accordingly, migrant children born or schooled in the country could acquire the civic elements of Greek citizenship but not the ethnic ones. The enactment of these discourses can be seen as a manifestation of nativism within an increasingly nationalistic political landscape under conditions of intense economic crisis.