First published in 1986, this study explores the development of citizenship as a way of demonstrating the effective use of political institutions to advance group interests. Bryan Turner rejects Marxist criticisms of reformism to illustrate that 'subordinate' groups can achieve significant advances in social and economic rights, and that democracy is a necessary mechanism for the pursuit of interests. This historical and sociological analysis raises fundamental questions about the nature of legal personality, individualism and identity in modern societies, and will be of wide interest to students of politics, sociology, and social philosophy.