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Education for Citizenship Education and Social Justice in Northern Ireland

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The Palgrave International Handbook of Education for Citizenship and Social Justice

Abstract

Citizenship education is often focused on inculcating young people into a national community. This role is challenged in divided societies, especially where the typical symbols of national identity are often contested. Northern Ireland is one such place where education is divided on denominational grounds and society is still coming to terms with a legacy of political violence, and national affiliation varies between Britain and Ireland. The chapter outlines the innovative citizenship education curriculum that was developed as part of the peace process and examines the evidence on its effectiveness. The analysis highlights a number of tensions that have emerged, particularly around the delineation of rights and the role of justice, and the challenge for teachers in dealing with controversial issues.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The nomenclature here is complex: a wide variety of terms is used – including ‘ex-combatants’, ‘ex-political prisoners’, ‘terrorists’, or ‘paramilitaries’, all of which potentially carry pejorative overtones.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast, University Rd, Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK

    Tony Gallagher & Gavin Duffy

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  1. Tony Gallagher
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  2. Gavin Duffy
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom

    Andrew Peterson

  2. Sch of Edu, Mawson Lakes Campus, University of South Australia, Magill, South Australia, Australia

    Robert Hattam

  3. Program of Educational Studies, Open University of Cyprus, Latsia, Cyprus

    Michalinos Zembylas

  4. Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    James Arthur

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Gallagher, T., Duffy, G. (2016). Education for Citizenship Education and Social Justice in Northern Ireland. In: Peterson, A., Hattam, R., Zembylas, M., Arthur, J. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Education for Citizenship and Social Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51507-0_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51507-0_25

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51506-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51507-0

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