Page 232 - Šolsko polje, XXXI, 2020, 3-4: Convention on the Rights of the Child: Educational Opportunities and Social Justice, eds. Zdenko Kodelja and Urška Štremfel
P. 232
šolsko polje, letnik xxxi, številka 3–4
In the last, fifth chapter, the authors discuss the current state of un-
derstanding democratic citizenship by focusing on the example of various
Canadian curriculum policy documents, which reveal differing under-
standings of what citizenship means and how it is manifested in cur-
riculum development. They reveal that the majority of citizenship pro-
grammes are developed as a result of increased government attention to
what constitutes a ‘good’ citizen – someone who possesses certain pre-
disposed knowledge, often including banal historical facts about nation-
al history and electoral/legislative processes and uses this information in
a certain prescribed fashion. Such a citizen is usually obedient and com-
pelled to vote in elections when his civic duty allows him to do so. The
passive stance adds to the growing sense of alienation so commonly seen
in today’s societies among many young voters who understand that their
political choices amount to no real choice at all. On the contrary, the en-
gaged democratic citizen does more than just occasionally cast a vote, he/
she is engaged in a full-time endeavour that involves seeking new knowl-
edge and constantly reflecting on that knowledge. He/she is constant-
ly engaged in public debate, actively participating in their communi-
ty by volunteering or engaging in various forms of political activism. A
‘good citizen’ is also an effective, dedicated and efficient worker who un-
derstands their fundamental right to form and join labour unions and
create change in workplace conditions. Citizenship education based on
critical pedagogy considers society and citizenship as dynamic, fluid and
contestable constructs where fundamental social change is both imagi-
nable and practically possible. Here, formal political processes are only
one of the possible forms of political participation. In such an education,
students are equipped with critical thinking tools, which amongst oth-
ers involves discussions around globalisation, neo-liberalism, internation-
al trade agreements and their impact on their way of life.
Despite its occasional utopian rhetoric, the book is highly relevant
for today’s reflections on the state of citizenship education and discussions
about active citizenship and critical thinking pedagogy. The pandemic is a
clear sign of a civilization crisis in which the triangle created between glo-
balisation, consumerism and sustainable development is defined by capi-
talist and market processes and trends (Adam, 2020a). The abolition of
the capitalist production and regulatory system cannot solve the problems
of civilisation, which are more deeply rooted in individualistic and con-
sumer (acquisitive) behaviour. The pandemic crisis has taught us that a less
wasteful consumer model and lifestyle is possible and that the old mod-
el which was indifferent to nature and balanced social development is no
longer easy to replicate. As the authors of the book conclude, we should
230
In the last, fifth chapter, the authors discuss the current state of un-
derstanding democratic citizenship by focusing on the example of various
Canadian curriculum policy documents, which reveal differing under-
standings of what citizenship means and how it is manifested in cur-
riculum development. They reveal that the majority of citizenship pro-
grammes are developed as a result of increased government attention to
what constitutes a ‘good’ citizen – someone who possesses certain pre-
disposed knowledge, often including banal historical facts about nation-
al history and electoral/legislative processes and uses this information in
a certain prescribed fashion. Such a citizen is usually obedient and com-
pelled to vote in elections when his civic duty allows him to do so. The
passive stance adds to the growing sense of alienation so commonly seen
in today’s societies among many young voters who understand that their
political choices amount to no real choice at all. On the contrary, the en-
gaged democratic citizen does more than just occasionally cast a vote, he/
she is engaged in a full-time endeavour that involves seeking new knowl-
edge and constantly reflecting on that knowledge. He/she is constant-
ly engaged in public debate, actively participating in their communi-
ty by volunteering or engaging in various forms of political activism. A
‘good citizen’ is also an effective, dedicated and efficient worker who un-
derstands their fundamental right to form and join labour unions and
create change in workplace conditions. Citizenship education based on
critical pedagogy considers society and citizenship as dynamic, fluid and
contestable constructs where fundamental social change is both imagi-
nable and practically possible. Here, formal political processes are only
one of the possible forms of political participation. In such an education,
students are equipped with critical thinking tools, which amongst oth-
ers involves discussions around globalisation, neo-liberalism, internation-
al trade agreements and their impact on their way of life.
Despite its occasional utopian rhetoric, the book is highly relevant
for today’s reflections on the state of citizenship education and discussions
about active citizenship and critical thinking pedagogy. The pandemic is a
clear sign of a civilization crisis in which the triangle created between glo-
balisation, consumerism and sustainable development is defined by capi-
talist and market processes and trends (Adam, 2020a). The abolition of
the capitalist production and regulatory system cannot solve the problems
of civilisation, which are more deeply rooted in individualistic and con-
sumer (acquisitive) behaviour. The pandemic crisis has taught us that a less
wasteful consumer model and lifestyle is possible and that the old mod-
el which was indifferent to nature and balanced social development is no
longer easy to replicate. As the authors of the book conclude, we should
230
