The curriculum and citizenship education in the context of inequality: seeking a praxis of hope
Loading...
Date
2012-12
Authors
Spreen, Carol Anne
Vally, Salim
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Education, University of the Free State
Abstract
In South Africa, more than most countries, the meaning of citizenship and related rights has faced severe
contestation centred on categories such as race, class and nation. Close to two decades after the first
democratic elections, notions of citizenship in South Africa represent a complex dynamic involving a
combination of one or another of these social constructs, as they relate at different times to changing social,
political and economic imperatives. In this article we explain that analyses of citizenship education in
South Africa have traversed different phases over the last two decades and discuss some of the research on
how ideas and values around citizenship are translated into classroom practice. We then examine notions
about citizenship and social justice in the shadow of the xenophobic or Afrophobic attacks of 2008/2009
and in the light of the present rise in racial tensions within and across communities in South Africa. Our
conclusion highlights the paradox that, despite the normative framework of the Constitution, policies and
the curriculum, structural inequalities in society will continue to thwart attempts at social cohesion.
Description
Keywords
Citizenship education, South Africa, Social justice, Rights, Inequality, Political mobilisation, Identity, Civic praxis, Critical pedagogy, Ethics, Hope
Citation
Spreen, C. A., & Vally, S. (2012). The curriculum and citizenship education in the context of inequality: seeking a praxis of hope. Perspectives in Education: Rethinking citizenship and social justice in education: Special Issue, 30(4), 88-97.