In Western Europe especially, civic integration “tests” have become prevalent as a means by which states regulate immigrants’ access to citizenship and probe their understanding of and commitment to national discursive and institutional structures (Jacobs and Rea, 2007; Goodman, 2010; Vink and de Groot, 2010). Along with the rise of citizenship oaths and courses designed for newcomers in language, civic orientation, history, and culture, many scholars view this development as evidencing a de-liberalization of citizenship policy and a “thickening” of national identity in many states (Goodman, 2010; Kostakopoulou, 2010a). While much research underscores the “convergence” in civic integration policies (Joppke, 2007a), important cross-national differences exist in the extent to which such policies restrict newcomers’ access to full membership (Joppke, 2007b) and in how they frame the content of nationhood (Michalowski, 2011; Michalowski and van Oers, 2012).
This paper further unpacks the...