Rethinking political participation: A pedagogical approach for citizenship education

Abstract

A significant body of literature on citizenship education and youth participation has progressively replaced political participation with other categories such as citizenship participation, community involvement or civic engagement. The demotion of political participation is also characteristic of different programmes of citizenship education embracing the same dominant categories. The article argues that this tendency reveals a depoliticised approach to citizenship education, which emphasises an apolitical view on adolescents' participation and, consequently, a conception of students as depoliticised subjects. The depoliticisation of citizenship education risks theoretical transparency in regard to the kind of participation it aims to promote and, therefore, jeopardises citizenship education's pedagogical efficacy. Drawing on political theory and philosophy, political science and sociological theory, the article analyses the scope and potential of the notion of political participation in order to develop an approach that is inclusive of adolescents, based on the development of their own politicity and especially thought for being enacted in the school as a central component of citizenship education.

Citizenship education in Mexico: the depoliticisation of adolescence through secondary school

“…As it has been the case in other countries, while there is an extensive consensus on the desirability of teaching these subjects, this path has undermined the political character of citizenship (Biesta, 2011;Frazer, 2007;Pérez Expósito, 2014b;Straume, 2015), and contributed to the depoliticisation of adolescents. To conclude, I call the attention to the need of shifting the priority of CE from the formal curriculum to the transformation of school practices.…”

“…Nonetheless, to define the political character of participation by the presence of government overlooks what Norris (2002) understands as contemporary diversifications in the targets of PP, like actions against transnational corporations without seeing the government as an intermediary (Lam, 2003;Pérez Expósito, 2014b;Pérez Expósito, Ortiz-Tirado, González, & Gordillo, 2012). It also usually restricts PP within the national domain and disregards a transnational arena for political action (Ruggiero & Montagna, 2008).…”

“…The forms of getting politically involved change according to different times, places and cultures (Norris, 2002(Norris, , 2007Pérez Expósito, 2014b). Among this diversity, it is difficult to identify the distinctiveness of PP in relation to other forms of participation.…”

“…At least, then, the political can be defined (a) by its ends, (b) by its means, (c) as a specific arena, (d) as a process and (e) as a type of relation (Pérez Expósito, 2014b). This wide range of meanings explains why the observer, or the participants involved in political action, can classify very contrasting practices as forms of PP.…”

Problematising the use of education to address social inequity: Could participatory action research be a step forwards?

“…These promote a depoliticised notion of citizenship by aiming to foster, in individual students, attitudes and behaviours conforming to dominant social mores (e.g. reading newspapers, volunteering), while overlooking the subtle operation of school structures that socially exclude certain groups and render them, eventually, ‘non‐citizens’ (Geobers et al ., ; Staeheli & Hammett, ; Expósito, ; Hilburn & Maguth, ; Poulter, ; Straume, ).…”