Abstract
This study explores how citizenship education in South Africa is guided by liberal and communitarian concepts of citizenship. Its contention is that citizenship education, as it has evolved through policy discourses on “Values, Education and Democracy”, is heavily influenced by liberal and communitarian concepts of citizenship. Nonetheless, the liberal-communitarian concept of citizenship education is not sufficient on its own to bring about educational transformation in institutions. Instead, citizenship education initiatives in South Africa need to promote a sense of compassion, motivating learners to take seriously the suffering of others. It is argued that such compassion represents a precondition of genuine educational transformation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Christiansen Cawthra Helle Andrea Helman-Smith Dudley Moloi (2001) ArticleTitlePolitical Developments in South Africa in 1999 and 2000 Development Update: Quarterly Journal of the South African National NGO Coalition and INTERFUND 3 IssueID3 1–98
InstitutionalAuthorNameDepartment of Education (DoE). (1999) Annual Report Government Printers Pretoria
InstitutionalAuthorNameDepartment of Education (DoE). (2000) Education and Democracy. Report of the Working Group on Values in Education Government Printers Pretoria
InstitutionalAuthorNameDepartment of Education (DoE). (2001) Saamtrek: Values, Education and Democracy in the 21st Century Government Printers Pretoria
InstitutionalAuthorNameDepartment of Education (DoE). (2001b) Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy Cape Argus Teach Fund Cape Town
InstitutionalAuthorNameDepartment of Education (DoE). (2002) Values, Education and Democracy: School-based Research Report–Opening Pathways for Dialogue Government Printers Pretoria
Galston A. William (1991) Liberal Purposes: Goods, Virtues, and Diversity in the Liberal State. Cambridge University Press Cambridge
Glass D. Ronald (2000) ArticleTitleEducation and the Ethics of Democratic Citizenship Studies in Philosophy and Education 19 IssueID3 275–296
Amy Gutmann Dennis Thompson (Eds) (1996) Democracy and Disagreement Harvard University Press MA:Cambridge
Gyekye Kwame (1997) Tradition and Modernity: Philosophical Reflections on the African Experience Oxford University Press New York,Oxford
International Bureau of Education 2003. Proceedings and Decisions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Geneva Conference, 29–31 January 2003, 1–12.
Keogh Helen (2003) Learning for Citizenship in Ireland: The Role of Adult Education Carolyn Medel-Añonuevo Gordon Mitchell (Eds) Citizenship Democracy, and Lifelong Learning UNESCO Institute for Education Hamburg 1–42
Kohlberg Lawrence (1964) Development of moral character and moral ideology Martin L. Hoffman Lois Wladis Hoffman (Eds) Review of Child Development Research Vol. 1 Russel Sage Foundation New York 381–431
Kohlberg Lawrence (1984) The Psychology of Moral Development Harper and Row San Francisco
Kymlicka Will (2002) Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction EditionNumber2 Oxford New York Oxford University Press
Macedo Stephen (1990) Liberal Virtues: Citizenship, Virtue and Community Oxford University Press Oxford
Medel-Añonuevo Carolyn Gordon Mitchell (Eds) (2003) Citizenship, Democracy, and Lifelong Learning UNESCO Institute for Education Hamburg
Miller David (2000) Citizenship and National Identity Polity Press Oxford
Nussbaum C. Martha (2001) Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions Cambridge University Press Cambridge
Nussbaum C. Martha (2002) ArticleTitleEducation for Citizenship in an Era of Global Connection Studies in Philosophy and Education 21 289–303
Ouane Adama (2002) Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning Madhu Singh (Eds) Institutionalising Lifelong Learning: Creating Conducive Environments for Adult Learning in the Asian Context UNESCO Institute for Education Hamburg 311–325
JohnRawls Rawls (1970) A Theory of Justice Harvard University Press MA Cambridge
South Africa, The Republic of. 1996. Constitution. Annotated Version. Wynberg: Hn Communications.
Torney-Purta, Judith, Rainer Lehmann, Hans Oswald, and Wolfram Schulz. 2001. Executive Summary. In:Citizenship and Education in Twenty-eight Countries: Civic Knowledge and Engagement at Age Fourteen 1--18. Amsterdam: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
Walters Shirley (1999) ArticleTitleLifelong Learning within Higher Education in South Africa: Emancipatory Potential International Review of Education 45 IssueID5–6 575–587
White Patricia (1999) ArticleTitleGratitude, Citizenship and Education Studies in Philosophy and Education 18 IssueID1 43–52
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Waghid, Y. Compassion, Citizenship and Education in South Africa: An Opportunity for Transformation?. Int Rev Educ 50, 525–542 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-004-4638-3
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-004-4638-3