Aristotle's Theory Of Statelessness

Aristotle looks at the qualifications and role of those who embody a state or community when conceptualizing statelessness. Aristotle believe that the perception of citizenship based on state supremacy is flawed due to the difference in governments that exists within these states. Because governments differ and notions of rulership are inconsistent among states, statelessness typically does not mean the same thing to all citizens of all states (Aristotle). He then goes on to explain that a state must consist of a community of people who rely on each other in order to exist. These communities must also have a ruler and a subject(s). Therefore, those that exist without rulership exist without humanity and without state. Aristotle goes on to describe …show more content…
In The Origins of Totalitarianism, Arendt discusses statelessness using Nazi Germany and discusses statelessness within a totalitarian government. While she does not address a change in government, the shift between democratic Germany and Nazi Germany is very clearly a shift in government and a shift in citizenship. The rest of Europe is also discussed during this time considering their stake in the war and considering the amount of people that became stateless during this time. Arendt calls the refugees of this war stateless (Arendt) because they have lost ties to their nation state. Arendt describes citizenship as belonging to a political body within a nation state and being protected by that state in the form of having your rights protected and upheld. Minorities were targeted during the second world war and were displaced from their homes as a …show more content…
Shu-Yun Ma discusses political exiles from Communist China and their role in statelessness in The Exit, Voice, and Struggle to Return of Chinese Political Exiles. Ma explains the totalitarian state of China that, like Nazi Germany, produced many political exiles. Ma describes Chinese political exiles as those who have left China for political reasons (Ma). This is very similar to the refugees of Europe, and especially minorities in Nazi Germany. In this situation, individuals seek asylum from a state that no longer wishes to protect them politically, which may include the protection of human rights. After leaving China, Chinese political exiles no longer have a political affiliation to a state or are protected by a state and enter statelessness. However, Chinese political exiles face a slightly different situation where they, while wanting status as a citizen, also do not want it unless it is under certain conditions. The politics in Communist China determines their willingness to return. In this situation, if these exiles did return to their home nation then they would also enter a state of being half stateless. While they would then be receiving protection of their rights, they would not be representing the state’s political ideologies and are then governed by the politics of another state. Both Aristotle and Arendt’s ideas of statelessness contribute to understanding citizenship from