Active Citizenship: Multiculturalism and Mutual Understanding

TL;DRAbstract

This chapter examines the meaning of multiculturalism and its bearing on two related areas of citizenship policy: citizenship education in schools and naturalisation policy. It explores the idea of political citizenship from a multicultural standpoint and argues that the ‘glue’ holding together the three strands of citizenship education — political literacy, social and moral responsibility, and community involvement — is public participation based on appropriate learned knowledge and skills. It also contends that active participation requires citizens not simply to be secure in their personal identities but for these to be related to, and reflected in, the larger community. Moreover, it considers the proposal that ‘identity and diversity: living together in the United Kingdom’ be added as a fourth strand to the ‘key concepts’ in the citizenship curriculum alongside ‘democracy and justice’, ‘rights and responsibilities’ and ‘critical thinking’.

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