As people become more mobile around the world, the nature of citizenship, and all its attendant rights, has become the object of intense scrutiny. And, as we know, democracies forcefully and coercively exclude those whom they believe do not belong on their territory or among their constituency.

In Democracy and Exclusion, Patti Tamara Lenard looks at how and when democracies exclude both citizens and noncitizens from territory and from membership to determine if and when there are instances when such exclusion is justified. To make her case, Lenard draws on the all-subjected principle, or the idea that all those who are the subject of law--that is, those who are required to abide by the law and who are subject to coercion if they do not do so voluntarily--should have a say in what the law is. If we assess who is subjected to the power of a state at any particular moment, and especially over time, we can see who ought to be treated as a member and therefore be granted citizenship or the right to stay.

With an in-depth look at instances in which democratic states have expanded or adopted policies that permit the exclusion of citizens--including denationalization, stateless peoples, labor migrants, returning foreign fighters, and LGBTQ+ refugee resettlement--Lenard argues that admission to territory and membership is either favored by, or required by, democratic justice. Democracy and Exclusion makes a powerful case that subjection to the power of a state, without proper protection from exclusion, is a violation of democratic principle.

Patti Tamara Lenard is Assistant Professor of Ethics at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

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"This stimulating book explores a wide range of problems connected to migration and citizenship in contemporary democracies. Several of the topics Lenard discusses have received relatively little attention in the normative literature: denationalization, deportation of non-citizens, the claims of citizens living abroad, the issuance of visas, the resettlement of LGBTQ+ refugees, and naturalization ceremonies. Lenard writes in an open, concrete, highly accessible style that makes the book valuable for ordinary readers as well as scholars." --Joseph H. Carens, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Toronto

"Lenard's arguments demonstrate how liberal democratic states unjustly exclude too many people from membership and territory, despite being premised on a principle of inclusion. At the same time, her contextual approach recognizes the messiness of political realities, and outlines incremental steps these states can take towards greater fairness. Democracy and Exclusion shows how political theory can make an important contribution to bringing about change within the limits of the political world we find ourselves in, without losing sight of what justice demands for the excluded." --Phillip Cole, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations, University of the West of England

"Arguing within a contextual approach and offering numerous examples from around the world, Lenard convincingly contends that subjection to the legal and political power of a state, without proper protection from being excluded from territory and membership, is a violation of the democratic principle. Because of the rise of populist and xenophobic parties and governments within democracies there could not be a more timely book. Democracy and Exclusion is a must-read not only for those studying migration, but for any person who still has a heart." --Avner de Shalit, author of Cities and Immigration