Membership of a State is as important as it ever has been and the composition of this membership is carefully protected by modern States. Moreover, the State is not a neutral, solely political, constituency. It is still seen as ‘national’ in many contexts. This paper argues that the denial of State membership evidenced in the status of Statelessness is anomalous to a modern global society. It excludes persons from legal personality, from basic social, political and economic rights, and it entrenches that disadvantage through generations. However, it also argues that the prohibition on leaving a citizenry effected in some cases by the Statelessness Conventions is problematic. This paper analyses the attempt to reject Australian citizenship and the rejection of voting among First Peoples in Canada. It sets these within the context of campaigns by such groups to gain citizenship and the associated rights and protections.
