Social citizenship: Rights, participation and responsibilities of young people

Abstract

People often expressed contrasting and ambivalent ideas and feelings about their incorporation in a society; on the one hand, everyone is an equal member of a society; but on the other hand, some members express indifference towards this notion. This research will focus on how Malaysian young people make sense of these seemingly contradictory ideas and practices and how their negotiations and resolutions relate to their social citizenship in Malaysian multi-ethnic society. In order to highlight processes of negotiations and resolutions, this research will look at social, political and civil rights under the banner of social citizenship examining young people's perceptions and experiences of citizenship. These aspects will provide the framework for discussing how various notions including those of rights as citizens are interconnected and embedded with motives that contribute to and constitute political, social and civil rights that lead to democratic rights, participation and responsibility.