Reflecting the emerging idea of the ‘good global neighbour’, the 2005 Cooperation Agreement between the governments of Scotland and Malawi set out to consolidate long established ties between the two countries in a reciprocal partnership to support Malawi in pursuit of its Millennium Development Goals. The partnership aims to promote links between schools in the two countries, through twinning, exchanges and other curricular activities. Such programmes between European countries and developing countries raise complex problems, for the economies and identities of the two nations are implicated in the history of colonialism and unequal development that defines the context for developing conceptions of global citizenship and good neighbourliness between their future citizens. Can such programmes avoid a politics of benevolence in which the partners are potentially defined not as equal participants  but as agents and victims, as ‘aid’ is channelled unidirectionally from donors to recipients?

Alert to such problems, this study is focussed on perceptions of the self and the ‘other’ among student and teacher participants in schools in Malawi and Scotland. Viewed in the context of prospects for global citizenship in both countries, the research is of some urgency. If  people need the chance to develop understanding of how their own lives and those of others are linked, as well as the capacity to contribute to shaping a common global future, perceptions and knowledge of both their own situation and those of others are crucial elements of citizenship education. To what extent, we ask, are children and young people in Malawi and Scotland aware of the partnership between their countries and, as importantly, what does it mean for them?  Do they conceive of themselves as citizens of the world or do they identify only, or predominantly, with their nation or even their immediate neighbourhood?  What does citizenship mean to them and what do they believe their entitlements, rights and responsibilities are in relation to others, locally, nationally and internationally?

Divala, J. and Enslin, P. (2008) ‘Citizenship education in Malawi: prospects for global citizenship’ SAGE Handbook of Education for Citizenship and Democracy, pp. 215-226 Enslin, P. and Hedge, N. (2010) 'A good global neighbour: Scotland, Malawi and global citizenship' Citizenship Teaching and Learning, 6(1), pp. 91-105. LTS – Learning and Teaching Scotland (2011) Developing Global Citizens within Curriculum for Excellence, http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/DevelopingGlobalCitizens_tcm4-628187.pdf (last accessed 29/01/2012). Scottish Government (2005) Co-operation Agreement between Scotland and Malawi, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/scotland-malawi-agreement (last accessed 29/01/2012).