Affinity, Diaspora, Identity, Reunification, Return (Part #2)
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The ability of individuals to associate meaningfully with a distant place could be understood as constrained by the administrative requirements assumed to be necessary to ensure the coherence of that "realm" or "domain". They can perhaps be summarized as including:
- Identity: namely the need for clarity on who is a recognized citizen or member, in contrast to those who are not. This may be confused in practice with a separate need to ensure the attractiveness of the realm through public relations in order to encourage visitors, typically tourists. The situation may be further confused by recognition of the identity of "consumers" of the products of the realm, whether within the realm or through exports elsewhere.
- Citizenship and residence: namely the further qualification on identity in terms of status as a citizen and/or resident. This is necessarily confused by procedures allowing for residence by non-citizens (including relatives)
- Property ownership: namely the relationship between residence and possible ownership of one or more) properties. This is necessarily confused by procedures allowing for ownership of property by non-residents (and non-citizens) and the situation of those having no administratively identifiable residence
- Taxation: namely concern to ensure that revenue for the purposes of administration (and infrastructure maintenance and development) is engendered from citizens, residents and property owners
- Voting: namely the rights accorded to citizens to vote for legislative assemblies responsible for administration policies and regulations and to ensure their democratic oversight. This is necessarily confused by voter qualifications (age, gender, legal status), notably as to whether eligible voters are non-residents, absent at the time of voting, or legally required to vote.
- Obligations and responsibilities: whether those of the administration (in ensuring security, social security, etc), or those required of citizens and residents
These issues typically engender constraints from an administrative perspective regarding who can be associated in whatever way with the realm. Possibilities of reframing the relationship to a realm -- effectively bypassing those constraints -- are considered below.