Citizenship education in a divided society: lessons from curricula and practice in Northern Ireland

Group Submission Type: Book Launch

Description of Session

Important Note: My book Citizenship Education in a Divided Society: Lessons from Curricula and Practice in Northern Ireland was published earlier than expected. I anticipated publication to be late winter 2023 but the E-copy was released December 29, 2022. The hard edition was released in January 2023 (printed copyright is 2023). I could not have launched it at CIES 2023 because I did not expect it to be published in time. I corresponded with the CIES conference team over email about this publication date and they granted me permission to submit this proposal. For the proposed launch, I will discuss my book with two colleagues from Northern Ireland, answer questions, foster a discussion drawing from audience members' knowledge and experience with citizenship education, and hold a drawing for free e-copies.

Description:
Citizenship Education in a Divided Society: Lessons from Curricula and Practice in Northern Ireland examines the possibilities and realities of promoting citizenship, peace, and reconciliation through schooling in divided and post conflict societies. With specific attention to the case of Northern Ireland and the Local and Global Citizenship (LGC) initiative, this book investigates the faltering progress to develop and teach school curricula aimed at promoting citizenship as well as tolerance, and mutual understanding.

Drawing on interviews with policymakers, curriculum specialists, and teachers, classroom observation, and ethnographic data collected from 2012 through 2021, the factors that have weakened LGC are explored throughout this book. They include marginalization within the larger curriculum; wavering political support; uneven implementation by schools and teachers; and an education culture that values exams and measurable outcomes rather than the “soft skills” learned in citizenship. Yet not all is lost with LGC, which continues to be taught in schools. There are innovative aspects, such as flexible materials and cross-disciplinary teaching, that should be built upon.

These lessons learned have the potential to contribute to strengthening citizenship education in Northern Ireland and other divided societies. However, this book is not only about identifying ways to improve how the subject is implemented and how it is taught. The length of my research and the fact that I have the vantage point of an outsider—an American studying Northern Ireland—gave me the time and distance to see LGC in a wider context. As I peeled back the layers of the development and implementation of LGC, the story became about the heart of schooling and the ways in which differing understandings about the goals of education can impact even the most well-planned reforms. The case of LGC in Northern Ireland underscores the democratic necessity of dialogue about the purposes of education. It also emphasizes the limitations of the school subject and the need to approach the teaching of citizenship (and peace and reconciliation) from multiple angles. As citizenship education is increasingly de-prioritized in societies across the globe this book is timely and has the potential to make a significant impact in our field.

Sub Unit

• Pre-Conference Workshops, Book launches, and Visual Art Exhibits / Book Launch

Chair

• Una O'Connor, Ulster University

Book Launch Presenter

• Elizabeth Anderson Worden, American University

Discussant

• Clare McAuley, Ulster University