Hybridity: As a Form
of Citizenship(s)
How many places do you consider yourself to have citizenship to? Loosely defined, citizenship is feeling a part of a community and/ society. It is the tie that you feel to a place and its inhabitants. It is probable that many of us feel like we are citizens to multiple communities. I personally feel that I have citizenship in communities: My hometown, Wake Forest University, and Venice. Although my legal citizenship differs among the three, I feel that I am a member of each of these societies and have different obligations and commitments to each one. I consider myself to be a hybrid citizen. I do not consider myself to have ties and commitments to only one community, but rather several communities. Hybridity makes me feel that I am free to have mobility and become a part of more communities. However, I have noticed that the more places I have citizenship too, the less dedicated I feel to each one in particular. At times, not having a sole commitment to one place makes me feel that I do not have permanent citizenship anywhere, and there isn’t a place I specifically commit myself too. Due to my personal ties and duties to multiple places, I think that I will always be hybrid citizen and I wonder how this will affect my level of commitment to each of my communities.
Before attending college, I always considered myself as having citizenship to the United States, and more specifically, Thomasville, North Carolina. I never thought about considering myself as a hybrid citizen. Before college, I was a dedicated citizen to Thomasville, NC. It is where I have lived for five years, which is the longest I had ever lived anywhere. I was also very involved in the community and had many personal ties to Thomasville. However, once I got to Wake Forest University my citizenship in Thomasville altered. My obligations and involvement in my community transferred to WFU. I felt more of a commitment to Wake Forest rather than Thomasville. Even now that I have been a committed member to the Wake Forest community I still feel somewhat obliged to be somewhat involved in Thomasville, like keeping up with local news. My hybridity as a citizen has allowed me to form bonds to both places.
Now, when I first arrived in Venice, Italy for study abroad I was still very involved and up-to-date on current events at Wake Forest. However, now I could hardly tell you if we have a football game this weekend. Instead, I am now up-to-date on Venetian news and issues. Before coming to Venice I never thought twice about a cruise ship in Venice. Now that I have realized the current issues that Venice has with cruise ships I would never consider taking a cruise ship to Venice, or any place that is nearly as delicate. As my knowledge, involvement and commitment has grown to my Venetian community, it has all decreased to my Wake Forest community. I still care about Wake Forest, and of course because I will be returning to it in the next few weeks, I still have ties to it, but as I have been a temporary citizen in Venice, I have almost taken a temporary leave as a citizen to Wake Forest. My open-mind to being a hybrid citizen allows me to have a more open mind to mobility and exploration. However, at times it also makes feel that I am not being as great of a citizen to each because my loyalty is not solely in one place.
My awareness as a hybrid citizen also makes me aware that my citizenships will continue to grow and to change. When I return back to America, more specifically Thomasville and Wake Forest University, I wonder how will my citizenships will change again. My dedication as a citizen to Wake Forest will return, however I’m curious if my one to Thomasville will grow? Or will it remain the same and will I now have more of a desire to becoming an involved citizen of Winston-Salem rather than just Wake Forest. I am guessing that my Venetian citizenship will change drastically. If I am trying to be a good citizen to my communities in America, will I be able to remain a devoted citizen to Venice? It is a lot of work to be dedicated to one community and I feel that the more communities I try to be involved in, the less dedicated I am to them.
Overall, this lack of dedication to one community leaves me feeling that will never be able to consider myself a permanent citizen to one community. The more communities I become a part of, the less dedicated I am too each. Also, I the communities I am a part of will continue to change. In the near future I will be calling a new place home and finding a new place to find citizenship within. This is why I have accepted the hybridity of my citizenship. I don’t believe that most people today can find one community that they have sole permanent citizenship in. We are living in a very mobile and globalizing time, and most people do not stay in one place for their whole life anymore. This exposure to new places and moving around the global community forces one to find citizenship in multiple places, and never fully leave behind their citizenship in other places. Because of this, I don’t believe that I personally will ever have one place that I feel like a true-blue, dedicated citizenship too. Once you have citizenship in one place, it is hard to forget about it and never consider it again even if you have a new place of citizenship. I personally believe that my number of places of citizenships will continue to grow, but of course my commitments to my previous ones will decrease in priority in comparisons to the more current ones. I will always consider myself to be a “hybrid.”
How many places do you consider yourself to have citizenship to? Loosely defined, citizenship is feeling a part of a community and/ society. It is the tie that you feel to a place and its inhabitants. It is probable that many of us feel like we are citizens to multiple communities. I personally feel that I have citizenship in communities: My hometown, Wake Forest University, and Venice. Although my legal citizenship differs among the three, I feel that I am a member of each of these societies and have different obligations and commitments to each one. I consider myself to be a hybrid citizen. I do not consider myself to have ties and commitments to only one community, but rather several communities. Hybridity makes me feel that I am free to have mobility and become a part of more communities. However, I have noticed that the more places I have citizenship too, the less dedicated I feel to each one in particular. At times, not having a sole commitment to one place makes me feel that I do not have permanent citizenship anywhere, and there isn’t a place I specifically commit myself too. Due to my personal ties and duties to multiple places, I think that I will always be hybrid citizen and I wonder how this will affect my level of commitment to each of my communities.
Before attending college, I always considered myself as having citizenship to the United States, and more specifically, Thomasville, North Carolina. I never thought about considering myself as a hybrid citizen. Before college, I was a dedicated citizen to Thomasville, NC. It is where I have lived for five years, which is the longest I had ever lived anywhere. I was also very involved in the community and had many personal ties to Thomasville. However, once I got to Wake Forest University my citizenship in Thomasville altered. My obligations and involvement in my community transferred to WFU. I felt more of a commitment to Wake Forest rather than Thomasville. Even now that I have been a committed member to the Wake Forest community I still feel somewhat obliged to be somewhat involved in Thomasville, like keeping up with local news. My hybridity as a citizen has allowed me to form bonds to both places.
Now, when I first arrived in Venice, Italy for study abroad I was still very involved and up-to-date on current events at Wake Forest. However, now I could hardly tell you if we have a football game this weekend. Instead, I am now up-to-date on Venetian news and issues. Before coming to Venice I never thought twice about a cruise ship in Venice. Now that I have realized the current issues that Venice has with cruise ships I would never consider taking a cruise ship to Venice, or any place that is nearly as delicate. As my knowledge, involvement and commitment has grown to my Venetian community, it has all decreased to my Wake Forest community. I still care about Wake Forest, and of course because I will be returning to it in the next few weeks, I still have ties to it, but as I have been a temporary citizen in Venice, I have almost taken a temporary leave as a citizen to Wake Forest. My open-mind to being a hybrid citizen allows me to have a more open mind to mobility and exploration. However, at times it also makes feel that I am not being as great of a citizen to each because my loyalty is not solely in one place.
My awareness as a hybrid citizen also makes me aware that my citizenships will continue to grow and to change. When I return back to America, more specifically Thomasville and Wake Forest University, I wonder how will my citizenships will change again. My dedication as a citizen to Wake Forest will return, however I’m curious if my one to Thomasville will grow? Or will it remain the same and will I now have more of a desire to becoming an involved citizen of Winston-Salem rather than just Wake Forest. I am guessing that my Venetian citizenship will change drastically. If I am trying to be a good citizen to my communities in America, will I be able to remain a devoted citizen to Venice? It is a lot of work to be dedicated to one community and I feel that the more communities I try to be involved in, the less dedicated I am to them.
Overall, this lack of dedication to one community leaves me feeling that will never be able to consider myself a permanent citizen to one community. The more communities I become a part of, the less dedicated I am too each. Also, I the communities I am a part of will continue to change. In the near future I will be calling a new place home and finding a new place to find citizenship within. This is why I have accepted the hybridity of my citizenship. I don’t believe that most people today can find one community that they have sole permanent citizenship in. We are living in a very mobile and globalizing time, and most people do not stay in one place for their whole life anymore. This exposure to new places and moving around the global community forces one to find citizenship in multiple places, and never fully leave behind their citizenship in other places. Because of this, I don’t believe that I personally will ever have one place that I feel like a true-blue, dedicated citizenship too. Once you have citizenship in one place, it is hard to forget about it and never consider it again even if you have a new place of citizenship. I personally believe that my number of places of citizenships will continue to grow, but of course my commitments to my previous ones will decrease in priority in comparisons to the more current ones. I will always consider myself to be a “hybrid.”