Citizenship education reconsidered in the era of democratic transition

Abstract

This article suggests that citizenship education is essential to establish a culture of democratic practices and national commitment in Tunisia. The growing demands for and debates about democratisation and political participation from the mass citizenry, along with an increased pressure from civil society, go beyond the legalistic definition of 'citizenship' to encompass the more multidimensional meanings of the concept - justice, belonging, tolerance and intercultural understanding. Teaching democratic citizenship can serve as the touchstone to guarantee social harmony, civic engagement, democratic practices and a mentality of difference/tolerance inside and outside classrooms. This article makes the case that the (re)mapping of democratic citizenship in the higher education curriculum is a good paradigm to destabilise the risks of counter-revolution, religious extremism and political propaganda, which have marked the democratic transition of Tunisian society.