Passive yet Patriotic Citizens: Chinese High School Students' Perspectives on Good Citizens

• In Event: 34.096 - MTCC Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 34.096-6 - Exploring Citizenship and Citizenship Education From Diverse Perspectives

Abstract

Citizenship and citizenship education are contested concepts associated with complex social and cultural issues that differ from one society to another. This paper pays attention to the understanding of good citizens in China, a state which is marked as authoritarian party-state. It analyzes the data from interviews of 24 students in two Chinese high schools. Drawing on citizenship theory and findings from the interviews, this paper identifies six types of the “good” citizens, which are divided by two dimensions- the individual/community/state interests concern of citizen behaviors and whether these behaviors are active or passive. By revealing these types of citizens, this research demonstrates Chinese students’ mindset of citizenship-passive yet patriotic, offering insights for a better citizenship education in China.

Author

• Jia Jiang, University of California - Los Angeles