The Dynamic Nature of Citizenship and Participation: Lessons from Three Rural Senegalese Case Studies

This article uses three case studies from rural Senegalese communal organizations to examine the dynamic nature of citizenship and participation. Citizenship reflects a set of expectations about rights and responsibilities that a par-ticular community and its members have for one another. The work illustrates two conditions under which those expectations can change. First, when the community does not incorporate inclusive decision-making institutions that value the involvement of all participants, individuals may question their citizenship rights and exit the community. Second, when the community cannot live up to the material expectations that members have for it, people may question why they must responsibly give time, energy, or resources to the community. The article demonstrates how state actors, macroeconomic forces, and power relations shape the nature of decision-making processes and the ability of the com-munity to meet its social contract.