(Regional) Norms and (Domestic) Social Mobilization: Citizenship Politics in Post-Maastricht, Post-Cold War Germany

This paper considers changing norms of citizenship and membership in post-Maastricht, post-Cold War Europe. Empirically, I contrast the domestic impact of two European-level influences: the European citizenship provisions contained in the Treaty on European Union, and several Council of Europe treaties that address broader issues of national membership (citizenship, minority rights, naturalization). For reasons of both design and empirical importance, I focus on only one country -- the Federal Republic of Germany. My central research question is to ask what effects the prescriptions embodied in these norms have at the agent level in Germany. The essay has five parts. I begin by briefly describing my case -- the debate over citizenship and membership in contemporary Germany. Second, I review recent work by constructivists and students of transnational social movements. After briefly discussing issues of research design and methods, I -- fourth -- apply this argument to the Federal Republic. In the conclusion, I situate my theoretical/empirical results within ongoing debates over the role(s) of European institutions, constructivism and its relation to rational choice, and German identity.