Introduction

Abstract

Around the world there is a heightened interest in citizenship policy in the broadest sense — in the policy domains of education, naturalization and integration. We are witnessing widespread contestations over conceptions of citizenship, whether it be, for example, the challenges posed by multicultural diversity as a result of large-scale immigration in Western contexts, or those of the ongoing uprisings in the Arab world, as seen through the lens of the ‘Arab Spring’. Increasingly, we are observing governmental constructions of ‘common’ national citizenship in the context of perceived internal division — including devolution, increased social pluralism, immigration, increased ethnic and religious diversity and even civil conflict. However, these are simultaneously contested by students and teachers, as well as by prospective new citizens. This is the case not only in longer-established Western democracies but also in the new democratic states of Eastern and Central Europe, as well as in countries of the Middle East and Far East. This book draws on case study examples from an interdisciplinary perspective, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ukraine, the UK and Palestinians in Lebanon, examining these contestations of citizenship in the domains of education and naturalization.