Active Citizenship Research Articles

Entering through the “Me” Door: A Theory of Self-Reflexive Civic Engagement

ABSTRACT Sociologists have long debated whether practices that prioritize self-fulfillment are compatible with the functioning of a healthy civil society. Many have argued that attachment to individual self-fulfillment undermines traditional community ties and detracts from the formation of associations and active citizenship. However, recent evidence suggests that some inwardly focused self-fulfillment practices might support political engagement and even social activism. This paper uses the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program as a case study to explore this gap in understanding. MBSR leaders believe that their inwardly focused program is also politically significant. Through analyzing interviews with MBSR leaders, I have categorized how MBSR leaders describe possible mechanisms by which self-fulfillment practices could lead to greater civic engagement. MBSR leaders described practices that could help people cultivaterelationships and social capacity through (1) deep listening, (2) non-reactivity, and (3) de-centering the self. Although individuals may initiate a mindfulness course for selfish reasons, MBSR leaders believe that mindfulness practices support the development of what I call a self-reflexive awareness that they believe has the potential to build social capacity from the interior. This case suggests the need for further investigation into the political relevance of mindfulness and other self-reflexive practices.

The Expanding Role of Public Libraries in Tribal Settings: From Traditional Services to (Advanced) Digital Skills, Citizen Engagement, and Innovation

ABSTRACT This paper presents a case study of Ignacio Community Library (ICL) on the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Reservation (Colorado) to show how public libraries in tribal settings currently contribute to their communities and whether such context influences these contributions. Based on existing literature and a dozen in-depth interviews, we find that ICL meets various needs and empowers citizens with (advanced) digital skills to use (emerging) technologies for specific purposes and also to innovate. Further, ICL expands opportunities for active citizen engagement in public affairs. These contributions align with local priorities and demonstrate how unique local circumstances affect specific ICL’s contributions.

In Conversation: Mother Tongue Education and Civic Engagement amongst Ga Youth

The role of language in education policies and the importance of civic engagement are well documented. What is less clear is how they converse with one another to inform how to develop active citizens who are empowered in their mother tongues. Building on a conceptual framework of civic engagement and linguistic injustice, this article asks: After the implementation of the 1971–1994 and 2004 medium of instruction education policies in Ghana, what language did Ga youth learn in, in practice? What are the intersections between Ga youths’ relationship to language and civic engagement participation? Together, these questions inform understanding of youth educational experiences, Ga people’s perception of the vitality of their language, and their responsibility to the community. In interviewing 22 Ga people in Ghana during the summer of 2022, I find that despite policy encouraging mother tongue instruction, most participants learned in English during primary school. Additionally, contrary to the notion that there is a disinterest in civic engagement amongst Ghanaian youth, findings show Ga youth find part of their civic responsibility to lie in passing on the Ga language to preserve their culture, land, identity, and the future of their community.

In or outside the box? Citizen action between institutional and extra-institutional channels in Chinese environmental governance

ABSTRACT Authoritarian leaders around the world have recognized that citizen engagement is a core element of successful environmental governance. Faced with a massive environmental crisis, also authoritarian China is mobilizing its citizens to address its ecological problems. However, taking a functional approach to public participation, the Chinese party-state like other authoritarian regimes attempts to channel citizen action into institutional pathways and away from more contentious extra-institutional ones. Little research has investigated citizens’ reactions to such attempts. This paper analyses citizen participation between institutional and extra-institutional venues at the case of Chinese environmental governance. It finds that Chinese citizens use a mix of both channel types, but are overall more drawn to extra-institutional channels despite the risks. Moreover, our findings point to different motivations for the use of venues: personal grievances are more linked with the use of institutional channels, broader environmental concerns with extra-institutional ones. This shows, first, that channeling attempts have not yet been successful in crowding out noninstitutional channels. And second, that citizens seem to attach different meanings to the different channel types. This will make it hard for the Chinese and other authoritarian regimes to phase out extra-institutional action without severe losses for the effectiveness of environmental governance.

Courting colonialism: considering litigation as an act of Citizenship in Colonial Burma

ABSTRACT Litigants in colonial Burma were ascribed a set of personal law codes according to their race and religion. Women were generally given the personal law status of their fathers, which imposed disadvantages on the daughters of mixed Chinese Burmese couples. In this paper, I identify efforts mixed women litigants made to reinscribe their personal law by mobilizing claims about the communities they belonged to outside the court as ‘acts of citizenship’. I describe points of rapprochement between theoretical trajectories that locate citizenship in- and outside the law. I adapt Mamood Mamdani’s classic distinction of citizen/subject to theorize the potential for enacting citizenship under conditions of colonial subjecthood.

Questioning educational contexts, promoting equitable actions: reflections on some paths of practice and research with complex instruction in Italy

ABSTRACT Within the framework of comparative education studies, this article discusses the process of borrowing and implementing Complex Instruction (CI) in Europe, focusing on three different multicultural and heterogeneous educational contexts in Italy: five primary schools, a Master academic teaching course, and a first literacy course for migrant adults. The paper explores the potential of CI for intercultural education and active citizenship. It aims to highlight how this cooperative approach can be an opportunity to question the usual school norms and habits and challenge what is taken for granted in the relationship with diversity, by transforming teaching into a creative and emancipatory experience in dialogue with diverse students.

The role of youth extracurricular activities and political intentions in later political participation and civic engagement.

Current literature recognizes that various socialization agents often shape political behavior. This study employs frameworks of political socialization and political agency to explore how extracurricular activities and political intentions established at age 16 influence aspects of political participation and civic engagement at age 20. A 4-year longitudinal study was conducted using a community-based sample of 933 adolescents from a medium-sized Swedish city with a population of approximately 135,000. Data were collected in 2010 and 2014, allowing for an analysis of the impact of extracurricular activities and political intentions developed during adolescence on later political and civic behaviors. The analytical sample comprised 933 individuals (50.8% females; mean age = 16.62, SD = 0.71). The analysis revealed that participation in extracurricular activities at age 16 is a significant predictor of offline political participation at age 20. However, no significant associations were found between these activities and other forms of participation, such as illegal behaviors or broader civic engagement. Political intentions at age 16 also significantly predicted offline political participation at age 20. The findings highlight the pivotal roles of both socialization agents and individual factors related to youth political agency in shaping political trajectories during adolescence. Understanding the effects of extracurricular activities and political intentions on political participation and civic engagement can aid policymakers and educators in developing strategies to foster active citizenship among young people.

Strong or thin digital democracy? The democratic implications of Taiwan's open government data policy in the 2010s

What kind of “democracy” do new government-led digital initiatives facilitate? This paper discusses the issue by investigating the open government data policy in Taiwan in the 2010s, asking whether the policy encouraged “strong democracy.” Using interviews, written records, and an analysis of platform design, I argue that the implementation of Taiwan's open data policy has not institutionalized the engagement of civil society groups or ordinary citizens in government decision-making processes, which is at odds with the claims that open government data encourages “strong democracy.” Instead, open government data in Taiwan has facilitated monitorial democracy, which presupposes watchful but not active citizens, and neoliberal democracy, which presupposes profit-pursuing citizens. Both are more in line with “thin democracy,” which focuses more on individual rights and private interests than on participation and political community. The finding sheds light on why conservative governments around the world often embrace open government initiatives.

‘I’m not Che Guevara, I’m an activist teacher’: six-component conceptual model for activist pedagogy

ABSTRACT Recent global crises have underscored the need to foster youth’s sociopolitical engagement to strengthen democracy. This study conceptualised activist pedagogy for active citizenship (APAC) as a framework for empowering teachers to cultivate students’ civic participation. Through a literature review and qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups with 41 Israeli teachers, six core principles of APAC were identified: critique and challenge, learning through action, real-world connections, advocating for change, transforming teacher identity, and fostering solidarity and community. The findings validate and extend the initial framework, offering a comprehensive model that encompasses teacher characteristics, practices, challenges, and professional development needs. This study highlights the importance of building capacity for activist pedagogy to support teachers in nurturing politically engaged youth amidst contemporary democratic challenges. It recommends nurturing policies that support the activist pedagogical approach, which this article proposes in an organised manner as a theoretical conceptual framework with potential for practical development.

Undocumented migrant workers as activist citizens: resisting citizenship exclusion through photovoice

ABSTRACT This article discusses the foregrounding of migrant activism through a photovoice project that emerged organically from groups of undocumented South Asian migrant men in Greece. It argues that this collective creative action against the criminalization of migrant ‘illegality’ constitutes an active act of citizenship that contests, from below, exclusionary citizenship rights and formal modes of inclusion into the body politic of a nation state. Isin’s concept of ‘activist citizen’ (2008) allows us to interpret migrant participation as a creative political mobilization that challenged their formal citizenship exclusion. The act of becoming intentionally visible through photo-taking and the multimedia installation allowed them to undertake constructive resistance against their forced invisibility and migrant abjectness. By representing themselves as empowered activist-citizens, and by using their photos, videos, and texts as evidentiary material, the undocumented migrant workers sought to destabilize dominant imaginaries and discourses that present them as fearful, deviant masculine others.

Energy Citizenship in Energy Transition: The Case of the Baltic States

The governance of energy systems is undergoing a transformative shift, vital to advancing the energy transition. Understanding the dynamics of energy citizenship and the factors that influence citizen engagement in energy matters is critical for driving social and institutional change. This paper informs on the key results of a comprehensive analysis of 54 energy citizenship cases in the Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania). The study explores the role of citizens in the energy transition and characterizes the socio-economic and geopolitical factors shaping energy citizenship activities in the region. The governance of energy systems represents a significant transformational shift that is essential for energy transition. A more comprehensive understanding of the current state of energy citizenship and the factors influencing the energy transition process could inform the social and institutional changes necessary for the involvement of citizens in energy matters. This desk study represents a crucial element of the EU Horizon 2000 EnergyPROSPECTS project, which aims to map the landscape of energy citizenship in Europe. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of 54 cases from the Baltic states. The findings provide insight into the role of citizens in the transition process and the underlying factors and conditions that shape energy citizenship activities within the specific socio-economic and geopolitical context of the region. In general, energy citizenship in the Baltic states can be seen to exist on a spectrum between reformative and transformative practices. Overall, progress is being made toward systemic changes in the energy sector, with a focus on the democratization of processes. Nevertheless, additional measures to enhance and reinforce energy citizenship, coupled with the advancement of enabling conditions, are imperative at all levels of governance and across all energy transition scenarios.

ANCIENT GREEK EXPERIENCE OF POLITICAL AND LEGAL REGULATION OF OIKONOMIA AS A BALANCE OF INDIVIDUAL AND GENERAL

The paper examines the political and legal means and ethical principles of harmonizing the interests of the individual and the general in the economic activity of ancient Greek society in the 8th–4th centuries BC. Explore the reform of the economic sphere, reveal the meaning of oikonomia, its structural components in the imagination and state legal practice of the ancient Greeks, highlight the shortcomings of legal regulation in matters of capital accumulation to level out the contradictions of the individual and the general. The ancient Greeks were aware of the antagonism between the individual and the general, understood the dynamic essence of their relationship and formed ethical and legal means of harmonizing the manifested contradiction. As a result of the pan-Athenian agreement, polic was determined as the dominant sphere, where oikonomia acted as a separate subject of citizen activity and consisted of three meanings: a) archaic form of blood-family economic activity, closed in itself, despotic in its essence and therefore destructive for the general; b) a household that naturally provides everything necessary for a patriarchal family and provides the opportunity for its owner to become a “master of industrial relations management.” Individual management experience ensures freedom for each citizen and can promote the interests of the general; c) chremastics is an element of оікіа. This type of activity, under the influence of egocentrism and an anti-human position, naturally threatens the common because it destroys the solidarity and democratic foundations of the policy. Therefore, certain types of chremastics (usury) were prohibited, and the type of activity itself was placed under ethical and legal control – in the form of voluntary charity. This policy was not effective and the way of managing authority was replaced by the state-legal way of managing domestic policy. Since the formation of the professional state apparatus and the formation of the Athenian Empire, oikonomia and chremastics have been transformed from a multiple phenomenon of the internal life of policy into a political lever of the external activities of the state. Athens was transformed into a large archaic оікіа – the majority of citizens and the state itself were enriched unlimitedly. Chremastics have become the dominant activity and value of the public sphere in Athens. This became one of the levers of a new imbalance of individual and general interests, the decline of ancient Greek civilization.

Pengaruh Self-Efficacy dan Motivasi Belajar Dengan Kemampuan Pemecahan Masalah Pada Mata Kuliah Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan

This study investigates the relationship between self-efficacy and learning motivation with problem-solving skills in the Citizenship Education course among students in the PPKn program at Pamulang University for the 2023/2024 academic year. Citizenship Education plays a crucial role in shaping students’ understanding of citizenship values, rights, obligations, and responsibilities. Problem-solving skills are seen as key to applying these values. The study focuses on psychological factors influencing problem-solving ability, specifically self-efficacy (belief in one’s capability to handle tasks) and learning motivation (internal drive to learn). The research uses a survey method with questionnaires assessing self-efficacy, learning motivation, and problem-solving skills among PPKn students. The collected data will be analyzed to identify relationships between the variables. This study aims to provide insights for developing learning strategies that support students' problem-solving skills, preparing them to become critical and active citizens.

Digital transformation in Russia: Turning from a service model to ensuring technological sovereignty

The paper outlines core aspects of the digital transformation process in Russia since the early 2000s, as well as recent legislative initiatives and practices at the federal level. It considers the digitalization of public services, efforts towards ‘sovereignization’ of the Russian segment of the Internet, and the current focus on cybersecurity and the development of artificial intelligence. The paper highlights the tendency to strengthen the factor of protection of state interests and national security alongside control over online activities of citizens in comparison with the initial understanding of digital transformation as a human-oriented process aimed at increasing the accessibility and convenience of public services. It can be assumed that this change in the goals and methods of digital transformation is one of the manifestations of a broader political, social and cultural process of separation, primarily from the West, that Russian society is currently undergoing, amidst a growing official narrative of threats from both external and internal forces that require greater independence and increased vigilance, including in the digital domain.

Strengthening capacities in Latin America by designing teacher professional development programmes for climate change education

PurposeThis study aims to describe the design process of two teacher professional development programmes on Climate Change Education in Chile and Mexico, their initial outcomes on teacher practices and feedback on course activities, content and format, and their expectations of future topics for deepening their understanding.Design/methodology/approachA systematization of the design and implementation process of both programmes was conducted. Subsequently, an online survey comprising 21 questions was administered to 115 teachers from both countries, representing 5% of the graduates from each programme. The survey evaluated their experiences, the impact on their teaching practices and the effects on their personal and professional lives. This non-experimental design relied on teachers' self-reported perceptions after completing the course.FindingsTeachers rated their experience highly, particularly regarding content quality and relevance to their local environment. Most (97.4%) applied their learning in their classrooms, with 78.3% noting it helped raise student awareness of climate change and facilitate collaborative projects. Additionally, 92.2% reported personal sensitization to climate issues and 87% changed personal habits. The course influenced 91.3% to take daily actions to reduce CO2 emissions. Some reflections are made on the design and implementation of the programmes, considering the survey results and the available literature.Research limitations/implicationsThe study relied on self-reported data from teachers after they had completed the courses. This approach was chosen because it allowed for a direct assessment of teachers' understanding and experiences. However, it is important to acknowledge the limitations inherent in self-reported data, such as the potential for response bias.Practical implicationsEducators, scientists and healthcare professionals can explore innovative pedagogical approaches to make CCE engaging and relevant, ensuring that all students not only comprehend the content but also feel empowered to contribute to environmental sustainability and learn to regulate their eco-anxiety. Teachers would have the opportunity to attend professional development courses based on research, reflect on their personal and technical habits, transform them, be role models for their students and build professional learning communities. Schools are transformative with a high quality of climate change education.Social implicationsClimate change demands urgent transformations in our consumption, energy generation and the construction of resilient cities. Education is pivotal in empowering environmentally conscious citizens. It fosters environmental awareness, develops skills to tackle climate challenges, promotes active citizenship, advocates for sustainable lifestyles and encourages innovation in clean technologies. By connecting people with nature, education strengthens environmental responsibility. Additionally, it equips society to advocate for sustainable policies and take action for the environment. A comprehensive educational approach is essential to forge global consensus and effectively address climate change.Originality/valueBy systematically evaluating teacher experiences and the impact on their personal and professional lives through detailed survey data, the study provides valuable insights into effective educational strategies for climate change awareness. Additionally, it highlights practical applications and behavioural changes among educators, contributing to the broader discourse on environmental education.

Uma proposta para a criação de democracias solidárias

The neoliberal ideology, which has prevailed almost everywhere in the world in the last 40 years, has been accentuating them. Today, the existence of a plutocratic oligarchy is increasingly evident, with excessive power for societies that claim to be democratic. When they use the term “liberal democracy” to designate the societies in which we live, we have to consider it a euphemism. We do live in neoliberal plutocracies, in which a tiny percentage of citizens have excessive and illegitimate power, always entrenched in the financial system, keeping the States hijacked. If this situation is unacceptable, it is also a situation in which remuneration inequality is so blurred that it prevents rewarding the social merit of each citizen's activity. This proposal attempts to find a balance between these two extremes. On the one hand, not allowing the existence of plutocratic oligarchies, but allowing the social merit of each citizen's activity to be rewarded, within socially acceptable limits.

National Borders among Families: Removal and ‘Bare Life’ in India

This paper is about the state-driven process of ‘migrant ‘illegality’ (Genova 2002) and its impact on the life of Bengali speaking residents in the Assam state of India. While the movement of people across borders between India and present-day Bangladesh has been historical and complex, this ethnographic work explores how the state-driven process of migrant illegality and the production of ‘bare life’ have disrupted intimate relations and family life among the migrant population in Assam. While the recent NRC (National Register of Citizens) update in Assam identified 1.9 million people as illegal migrants, there has been bureaucratic enactment of ‘migrant illegality’ by Assam Border Police for the last several years. The institutional procedures, court documents and narratives of the select cases of ‘detected’ as well as ‘detained’ residents from ethnographic fieldwork reveal how the absence of formal papers and errors in the family records, kinship relations and property inheritance among the poor migrant families transforms actual citizens to ‘illegal migrants’ in the bureaucratic manoeuvring and reduces them to their ‘bare life’. The paper also shows how prejudice, arbitrariness, and contradictions feed into the bureaucratic process and lead to intense crises among family units, as several migrant families have both Indians and alleged ‘Bangladeshis’ in their homes today. The paper argues that the major consequence of this state-driven ‘migrant illegality’ in the last two decades has been the creation of national borders among families, unsettling intimate relations and shared spaces.

Public resources and communities: the role of the university in ecological transition

The promotion of participatory processes in initiatives such as Energy Communities (ECs) can prompt behavioural change in ecological transition. The paper presents the experience of the Municipality of Cesena and the University in the EN-ACTION project aimed at increasing awareness among students and citizens about energy transition through initiatives involving various stakeholders. The first section outlines the state of the art on energy citizenship and universities in ecological transition. The methodological section illustrates the participatory approach of EN-ACTION. The third section describes the results. The conclusions emphasise the central role of active citizenship in the transition, and the role of the public in shared management of energy.

Common values for common goods: a circular regeneration model for active citizenship

Regenerating cultural heritage implies adopting a systemic and multi-scalar approach capable of considering the characteristics and flows of relations between the different components of the system. The regeneration project can be a circular strategy to reconnect people and places, generating and regenerating material and immaterial values of cultural heritage as a ‘common good’. The research proposes a circular and participatory regeneration model, validated through an evaluative framework. It supports decision-making and assesses the multidimensional impacts of reuse, redevelopment, maintenance and management practices of the commons, at all stages of the recovery project, and with respect to emerging instances and criteria adopted in existing policies.

Regenerative and innovative processes in the urban and peri-urban area of the city of Rome

Rome stands out for a fragility that stems from the disordered interpenetration of its rural soul with its urban agglomeration. The relationship between city and suburbs still appears complicated today and reverberates on the degree of social cohesion of its inhabitants. Bottom-up experimentation projects are being grafted into the extended area of the capital, reviving disused public property, abandoned land, to eliminate degradation especially in fragile contexts, developing regenerative processes of active citizenship. The purpose of the paper is to underline innovative experiences, in the urban and peri-urban area of Rome, pointing out their actions aimed at sharing common values, developing territorial welfare and protecting the environment.