Various trends and dimensions of the
current debate point in the direction of
cosmopolitan or global citizenship. One such
example might be Aihwa Ong’s idea (1999)
of flexible citizenship which she has developed
in her work on the Chinese diasporic
élite, but this perspective could in principle
apply to all diasporas. As the globalization
process produces multiple diasporas, we can
expect very complex relationships between
homeland and host societies that will make
the traditional idea of national citizenship
increasingly problematic. The increasing rates
of labour migration and the growth of dual
citizenship arrangements indicate that citizenship
itself will become differentiated to
accommodate these new status positions and
identities. These labor and other migratory
movements will produce a variety of interconnected
social changes that are associated
with multiculturalism in terms of marriage,
family structures, pluralism, and multiplicity.
The politics of difference and identity attempts
to address these cultural transformations, and
this transformation of societies places new
demands on traditional or national patterns of
citizenship.