Learning Active Citizenship

Author(s):

Patricia Mata(presenting / submitting)Teresa Aguado(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

07. Social Justice and Intercultural Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

07 SES 08 B, Schools for Democracy and Social Justice

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-20

09:00-10:30

Room:

ESI 3 - Aula 5

Chair:

Elias Hemelsoet

Contribution

This paper presents the aims, objectives and some of the first results of an R+D project sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (reference EDU2009-09195), the title of which is “Learning Active Citizenship. Educational Discourses, Experiences and Strategies”. Research team is composed by members from different Universities in Spain (UNED, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad del País Vasco and Universidad de Zaragoza) together with two international researchers belonging to Universidad Veracruzana, in Mexico, and Universidad Lusofona, in Portugal.

The project starts from the assumption that the goals of inclusion and social cohesion in democratic societies require a process of social transformation based on the substantial and equal participation of individuals and groups, and that this process implies the development of an active citizenship. There is a stated need of researching on the construction of an active citizenship in broad educational contexts, including formal, non formal and informal ones. Therefore, the main aim of this project is to formulate effective strategies for promoting the active citizenship learning through the identification and analysis of practices, processes and experiences that help on learning how to become and act as a citizen in democratic societies. With this aim in mind we intend to deepen on the comprehension of the notion of citizenship, starting from the perceptions and experiences of significant informants belonging to target groups, as well as to build a participative network for the analysis, exchange and systematization of learning experiences on active citizenship. The specific objectives of the project are:

To comprehend the concept of “active citizenship” taking people’s perceptions and experiences as a starting point.
To identify relevant actors, agents and scenarios on regards to the active citizenship discourses, practices and resources.
To analyze experiences and motivations to act as a citizen in social and educational contexts.
To build a participative network to promote sharing and systematization of experiences.
To formulate educational strategies to develop the learning and practice of citizenship.

Method

The State-of-the-Art developed in the first stage of the project provided us with a preliminary discourse on citizenship to be contrasted with the results from the further field work. An exploratory study, consisting on a series of interviews in depth, has been developed during the second stage of the project. Relevant informants were selected from the exploration of five specific social and professional spheres: education, social movements, academics, politics and media. The following global questions led the interviews: - What does it mean to be a citizen? How do you understand the idea of citizenship? - How citizenship is put into practice? Which kind of acts and activities implies this exercise? - Which are the assumptions and motivations underlying the exercise of an active citizenship? - How is it learned? Which are the resources and skills needed to be an active citizen?

Expected Outcomes

Some of the results from this study show that our informants understand citizenship as a complex and multidimensional concept, the history of which is linked to processes of exclusion that determine who is entitled to be considered as a citizen and who is not. Therefore they agree on the need of rebuild it, stressing its collective nature. Emerging citizenship is defined as critical, participative and linked to processes of social transformation of human relationships. Learning citizenship means “being a citizen”: thus, citizenship education implies to facilitate and promote citizenship experiences and increase participation spaces and opportunities. They identify multiple barriers to the development of citizenship, mainly related to the economical and political system. The third stage of the project intends to deepen on the comprehension of citizenship meanings and practices through different case studies, based on observation and narrative methodologies.

References

Benedicto, J. y Morán, M.L. (2003). Aprendiendo a ser ciudadanos. Experiencias sociales y construcción de la ciudadanía entre los jóvenes. Madrid: INJUVE. Bolívar, A. (2007). Educación para la ciudadanía:algo más que una asignatura. Madrid: Graó. Carbonell, F. (2005). Educar en tiempos de incertidumbre. Equidad e interculturalidad en la escuela. Madrid: Los Libros de la Catarata/ Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. De la Peña, Guillermo (2007). Derechos indígenas y ciudadanía étnica. En J.L. Calva (coord.), Derechos y Políticas Sociales, 142-158. México, D.F.: UNAM. Kiviniemi (1999) Profiles of citizenship: elaboration of a framework for empirical analysis. En Bussemaker (ed.). Citizenship and Welfare State Reform in Europe. London: Routledge Kubow, P.; Grossman, D. and Ninomiya, A. (2000). Multidimensional citizenship: Educational policy for the 21st century. En John Cogan y Ray Derricott (eds.), Citizenship for the 21st century: An international perspective in Education, pp. 131-150. Londres: Kogan Page Mouffé (1999). El retorno de lo político. Barcelona: Paidós Rosaldo, Renato (2003). Ciudadanía cultural. Una categoría para pensar en los jóvenes. Renglones, nº 55 Turner, B. (1990). Outline of a Theory of Citizenship. Sociology, 24, pp.189-217 Turner, Bryan S. (2001). The erosion of citizenship. The British Journal of Sociology, vol. 52, nº 2, pp.189-209. Turner, B. (ed.) (1993). Citizenship and Social Theory. Londres: Sage

Author Information

Patricia Mata (presenting / submitting)

UNED. School of Education

MIDE I

Madrid

Teresa Aguado (presenting)

UNED