Social Citizenship and Migrant Youth’s Expressions of Learning

• In Event: Roundtable Session 84
  In Roundtable Session: Democratic Citizenship in Education Paper Discussion 2

Abstract

This paper offers insights into the ways in which citizenship, as a process of learning, can be articulated for a broad spectrum of young immigrant’s in Canada. Arguing that lived experiences contribute to the meanings and interpretations assigned to citizenship, this paper draws on findings from an empirical study of twelve first generation Canadian-Iranian immigrant’s (ages 19-30) involvement in activist efforts, namely the Green Movement, to expand dominant notions of citizenship and the ways in which citizenship is learned. Findings reveal how expressions of citizenship – demonstrated through political activism, geographies of citizenship and communicative sites – trouble the dominant conceptions of citizenship in Canada. This understanding can yield practical interventions such as improving models of citizenship education for this population.

Author

• Maryam Nabavi, The University of British Columbia