The enactment of the neoliberal citizen: evidence from a case study in Bogota, Colombia

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article looks comparatively at the enactments of citizenship in two schools in Bogota, Colombia: a private elite institution and a public-private partnership school from the outskirts of the city. Data was collected through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews Enactments of students were conceptualised so as to identify the discourses of citizenship that were at play. I argue that both schools are under the influence of a strong neoliberal project that places emphasis on educating productive citizens. However, this conceptualisation of citizenship might not work for contemporary Colombia as it continues to reproduce a highly stratified society that carries within itself colonialities that do not allow for the interaction and collaboration of peoples. The article concludes that a thick cosmopolitanism that emphasises causal responsibility might be a more adequate lens for citizenship education in Colombia.