Citizenship
Roberta Silva, Marco Ubbiali
University of Verona

The concept of citizenship stems from Greek culture and Aristotle’s thought in particular. Over time, however, this concept has been developed by many thinkers and, in contemporary times, enriched by significant contributions from political science and sociology. Key sociologists include Thomas Humphrey Marshall, who viewed citizenship as a multi-faceted sphere weaving together political, legal, social and economic aspects. Subsequently, many scholars further explored this vision, interpreting the relationship between the individual and the state in various ways as part of a wide-ranging international debate that highlighted the multiple facets of citizenship (e.g. political, juridical, social, identity-based, educational) (see Milana, 2008). The educational sphere in particular has highlighted how important it is to promote the development of a way of ‘being citizens’ that goes beyond the ‘formal’ (e.g. juridical) aspects to encompass responsibility, respect for others and critical thinking while not overlooking the challenges posed by globalization, the technological revolution and economic and demographic transformations (Cogan, 2014).
The RE-SERVES project engages the educational side of the concept of citizenship by rediscovering its philosophical roots, originating in Aristotelian thought, according to which man is by nature a political being (as expressed in Nicomachean Ethics). Building on this premise, Hannah Arendt (1958/1989) argues that a life lived exclusively in private space prevents human beings from fully realizing themselves: by actively participating in the polis, instead, the life of the individual unfolds together with the life of the community. Adopting the Aristotelian matrix, we can establish a pedagogical approach to citizenship: the full realization or blossoming of human beings occurs through care, a practice that people act out educationally towards themselves, others, and the common space. Moreover, care is a practice animated by virtues: in particular, the care of the common space is characterized by the virtues of justice and respect, as argued in the Socratic dialogues. It is these virtues that give rise to a crucial human experience, that of friendship (Mortari, 2008), the political virtue par excellence.
The pragmatic approach, which also derives from Aristotelian thought, characterizes the experience of citizenship as active and democratic: active, in that it translates into civic and social engagement, i.e. acting according to political virtues; democratic in that, exactly like the self, it considers other people as bearers of both needs and rights, but also potential and the capacity for action (Dewey, 1916/1974). According to this vision, educating in citizenship means offering experiences in which students can enact and think about care and its political virtues (Mortari, 2008).

Selected references

Arendt, H. (1989). Vita activa. Bompiani. (Originariamente pubblicato nel 1958)

Cogan, J., (2014). Citizenship for the 21st century: setting the context. In J. Cogan & R. Derricott, R. (Cur.), Citizenship for the 21st century: An international perspective on education. Routledge.

Dewey, J. (1974). Democrazia ed educazione. La Nuova Italia. (Originariamente pubblicato nel 1916)

Milana, M. (2008). Is the European (active) citizenship ideal fostering inclusion within the union? A critical review. European Journal of Education, 43(2), 207-216.

Mortari, L. (2008). A scuola di libertà. Raffaello Cortina.