Overview

The discourse of civic education privileges liberal democratic understandings of citizenship. Yet we know that such understandings do not accurately represent the complex, plural, and problematic nature of citizenship in contemporary society. To stimulate discussion about new possibilities for teaching citizenship, this volume brings together the work of Canadian and American curriculum scholars to trouble the existing canon of citizenship education. Addressing themes as diverse as gender, sexual orientation, globalization, agency, ontology, and interdisciplinarity, the essays that make up this collection seek to enlarge and expand upon the ways educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers might approach teaching citizenship.

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9780820476056

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Reviews

« Richardson's and Blades' edited collection offers an exciting and diverse synthesis of material placing 'citizenship' and 'citizenship education' at the centre of social and cultural inquiry. Not only do they extend the growing educational literature critiquing the canonical premises of citizenship and citizenship education. They also move beyond traditions that treat citizenship and citizenship education as solely derivative of the processes of democratization. The outcome is an extremely powerful and erudite set of texts that speak directly to the fallacies commonly associated with concepts such as citizenship and democracy in the 21st century. A serious 'must read' for anyone interested in understanding the limits of democracy in a globalizing world order. -- Jo-Anne Dillabough

Richardson and Blades have assembled a book of richly provocative essays that challenges many of our complacent assumptions about civic education and suggests intriguing ideas for its revival in our schools. Their book will reward the attention of scholars and teachers alike. (Eamonn Callan, Professor of Education and Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Education, Stanford University) Richardson's and Blades' edited collection offers an exciting and diverse synthesis of material placing 'citizenship' and 'citizenship education' at the centre of social and cultural inquiry. Not only do they extend the growing educational literature critiquing the canonical premises of citizenship and citizenship education. They also move beyond traditions that treat citizenship and citizenship education as solely derivative of the processes of democratization. The outcome is an extremely powerful and erudite set of texts that speak directly to the fallacies commonly associated with concepts such as citizenship and democracy in the 21st century. A serious 'must read' for anyone interested in understanding the limits of democracy in a globalizing world order. (Jo-Anne Dillabough, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Studies, University of British Columbia)

Author Information

The Editors: George H. Richardson is Associate Professor in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta. He holds an M.A. in history and a Ph.D. in curriculum studies (social studies education) from the University of Alberta. His research interests include national identity formation, citizenship education, multicultural education, and action research. Before his appointment to the University of Alberta, he was a classroom teacher for more than twenty years. He has taught in Canada's northern schools and in the Ukraine. Among his numerous publications is The Death of the Good Canadian: Teachers, National Identities and the Social Studies Curriculum (Peter Lang, 2002). David W. Blades is Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Teacher Education at the University of Victora. He holds a Ph.D. in secondary education (science education) from the University of Alberta and a M.Ed. in curriculum studies from the University of Victoria. He has been a director of two centers for excellence in science education. Dr. Blades has published widely on citizenship education, multiculturalism, poststructuralism, and issues in curriculum reform, including Procedures of Power & Curriculum Change (Peter Lang, 1997).

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