Citizenship Education in Multicultural Society: Teachers’ Practices

Abstract

International literature indicates a decrease in participation (Schulz & Sibberns, 2004; Birzea et al., 2005) in western societies where legal frameworks are challenged by sociopolitical and cultural changes like migration, neoliberalism and globalization (Benhabib, 2002). These changes also affect the identity construction processes of new generations, as participation, belonging, and citizenship are rooted in identity formation (Bell, 1999) and instituted through family and school. In contemporary democratic societies schools must offer a new model of citizenship with multiple possible memberships. “Whilst every individual, to a certain extent, is a product of his or her heritage and social background, in contemporary modern democracies everyone can enrich his or her own identity by integrating different cultural affiliations” (Council of Europe, 2008, 18).This paper presents exploratory research conducted to verify if and how teachers and institutions engage in education for democratic citizenship from an intercultural perspective. We conducted qualitative conversational interviews with 47 teachers (8 preschool, 16 primary, 15 middle school and 8 secondary). Open-ended questions on their missions and what they do in class to promote citizenship education were employed to understand their beliefs about citizenship education and their practices to promote a democratic intercultural habitus among students. Some teachers had ambiguous or assimilationist conceptions of citizenship education, and others based it on ethics and interculturalism for an inclusive concept of citizenship. Teachers’ descriptions of practical actions fell into seven major categories: belonging, recognizing differences, listening to others, managing conflicts, participation, making rules together, and building communities. Some of their good practices are not yet instilled institutionally, so teachers trying to foster a democratic habitus feel isolated within their institutions and wider society. Transferring universal declarations and ethics into daily practice cannot be done by teachers alone, but requires the examples and actions of adults in society at large. Also, teachers need specific training interventions to orient this work.