Feminist perspectives on the learning of citizenship and governance

Preece, J. (2002) Feminist perspectives on the learning of citizenship and governance. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 32(1), pp. 21-33. (doi: 10.1080/03057920120116508)

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Abstract

This paper offers a critical appraisal of citizenship and governance in relation to gender. It draws on poststructuralist themes which look at the relationship between power and discourse. This perspective provides an analytical tool for exploring how gender has been understood in the construction of citizenship and governance values in Europe. Whilst the focus of this discussion is gender, the implications of this analysis for disability and race are also highlighted. The paper argues for a broader, more inclusive, ethical definition of active citizenship that, in turn, will influence how people learn to be citizens and take part in governance. A selected literature identifies different ways in which citizenship is portrayed and learned through texts, schooling, family and social behaviours and traditions. The changing European and globalisation contexts provide additional commentary on the demands for new forms of citizenship and governance. Particular attention is paid to the notion of active citizenship with some recent interpretations of the dichotomy between private (family) and public (political) domains in relation to citizenship and gender. The final sections then analyse different attempts to re-define a gender sensitive concept of citizenship, concluding with the argument for an ethical education which would empower women to play a more active, citizen role in governance.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Preece, Professor Julia
Authors: Preece, J.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
Journal Name:Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education
Publisher:Routledge
ISSN:0305-7925
ISSN (Online):1469-3623
Published Online:01 July 2010
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