Citizenship as Aristocratic Justice

The lecture will explore the concept of citizenship not as a mechanism

of equality or inclusion, but as a form of aristocratic justice — a structured

distribution of rights and status that inherently privileges some over

others. Drawing on comparative legal and political theory, Prof. Dimitry

V. Kochenov will examine how citizenship functions as a tool of hierarchy

and exclusion, despite its democratic pretensions. The talk invites critical

reflection on the moral and institutional foundations of membership in

the modern state.

Dimitry V. Kochenov is Research Professor and Head of Rule of Law research

at the Central European University's Democracy Institute, and teaches

at CEU Legal Studies in Vienna. Dimitry has consulted governments and

international organizations, including the Dutch and Maltese authorities,

and served as the founding Chairman of the Investment Migration Council

in Geneva.