Citizenship, Othering and Learning: A Comparative Study with Groups of Young People from Pembrokeshire and Cardiff

Abstract

What is the state of citizenship and citizenship education among the young people of Wales? Furthermore what are the understandings, thoughts, views and opinions of young people towards citizenship in a time of neo liberalism and neo communitarianism? A time when othering is found in countries policies, politics and media landscape that represents and powerfully defines immigration as a cause for fear and matter of security. This thesis uses academic research and theory in combination with youth work experience and the industrial expertise of Sazani Associates to develop and evaluate curriculum materials to engage young people in questions of citizenship and othering through the promotion of critical thinking and empathy. This begins with a thorough examination of literatures exploring citizenship, othering and empathy’s histories, developments and new and emerging categories and definitions. Analyses of key literatures include the works of Bauman, Isin, Painter and Jeffrey, Gregory, Katz and Rankine. These combine with practitioner skills to inform a participatory action research based approach including elements of play, imaginative reconstruction and board games. The result is a collection of materials which cover a range of citizenship and othering topics including how citizenship is gained, kept and lost and asking participants to explore their own experiences of micro and macro aggressions and othering. This thesis finds that the participants, who were all from a minority ethnic background enjoyed the opportunity to have fun, express themselves and participate in a mutually respectful learning partnership. The thesis argues that this kind of approach could have beneficial results on the development of young people but found initial opinions embedded in neo liberal attitudes leading to a neurotic form of citizenship. The conclusion argues that these can be positively challenged but a major obstacle to this comes in the form an educational system seen as the default provider and based upon valuation and producing essential citizens ready for work.