ship begins for Western culture in the classical period. Aristotle's main view about the nature of citizenship is that the work of (free) citizens actively engages human reason and that it is serious, honored work. Slaves (who are not citizens) do the "necessary tasks" of life but do not conduct business of the polis. Citizens do. In that regard, Sharfir remarks that the "Greek concept of citizenship enshrined freedom, but only for a portion of mankind" (1998, p. 4). Even so, a state worthy of the name is composed of citizens who have an administrative voice and who engage in creating a good life for the "common interest," which comes down to a stable continuity of community identity. Although as Sharfir explains citizen status was reserved for Greek city-state aristocrats (who decided to declare themselves democrats), Aristotle does not take the view that authentic citizenship is something one is born to. Rather, it is a skill that can be taught and must be learned. Citizens need to be trained and form the habits of action "which make a good man" (Aristotle, 1995, p. 32). What is good "in the sphere of politics is justice, and justice consists in what tends to promote the common interest" (p. 112). Plato's conception of governance differs from Aristotle's, but they share the view that the work of governance is best undertaken by persons prepared for the task by "sound education" tending toward refinement of reason, and by implication, justice (Plato, 1945, p. 114). As well, Plato and Aristotle plainly share a conception of citizenship, however de facto elitist it may be, as an exercise in active engagement.
Another view of citizenship as engagement can be discerned in the context of the French Revolution. The Revolution created a new sense of French identity as it disposed of traditions and institutions of the monarchy. According to Barzun, there was at the time of the revolution a sentiment that there were racial origins of the Fre...