Citizenship and democratic education in the time of rising nationalism: Implications for citizenship education from the cases of Australia and Singapore

Abstract

Notions of citizenship and citizenship education that were traditionally related to mainly nation-centric agendas are increasingly inadequate in preparing young citizens for the dynamism of societies and complexities of social issues stimulated by globalization. Depending on the political and social ideologies within and across societies, different citizenship education curricula are designed differently to achieve these goals. This article uses the cases of Australia and Singapore to discuss how different forms of citizenship education can contribute to an ongoing construction of a more just and peaceful world. Through the analysis of the social science curricula in the two countries, three key factors that can influence the value of democratic citizenship education in developing ‘active’ and ‘informed’ citizens were identified. First, the extent to which democratic values are referenced as the basis for citizenship, hence supporting an understanding of ‘politics’ in contexts of diversity. Second, the balance to be sought between development of competencies to achieve nationalistic goals and responding effectively to the dynamism of contemporary societies. Third, the extent to which curriculum arrangements support democratic citizenship development.