Binding Citizenship as a Bridge between Communities and Institutions: Dialogues between Christian Social Ethics, Political Philosophy and Social Sciences

Abstract

People are intrinsically relational beings and this need to interact is channelled into the establishment of communities, whose organization is often formalized into institutions. An opposition between both types of groups has been raised in the literature. This article seeks to critically analyze the relationship between communities and institutions, based on Christian social ethics, political philosophy, and social sciences through a bibliographic exploration and a transdisciplinary discussion. The concepts of community and institution are analyzed and citizenship connections with both concepts are discussed, considering two different traditions of citizenship, and its relationship with democratic culture and community building. To conclude, the concept of binding citizenship as a bridge between communities and institutions is proposed, and solidarity and liberty are considered as two principles that become integrated and can coexist in communities and institutions.