Spaces of Closeness or Spaces of closure? Challenges to citizenship education in a deeply conflicted society

What connects society? What holds it together at times of crisis? Can inclusive citizenship education bridge societal schisms in routine or at times of emergency in an ethnically-defined state? Whereas much research has been focused on the role and value of citizenship and civics education from the perspective of either the curriculum or the value system of students, our project addresses the question of what mark does citizenship education leave in the minds of young adults. As part of this research we sought to explore how various patterns of separation and segregation affect citizenship education and reflect in the conceptions of citizenship amongst young adults. We are particularly interested in the degrees of closeness and closure between various social groups, and in the role citizenship education had played in the formation of these spaces. Given that geographical proximity cannot explain “social distances” we asked young adults (ages 18-22) about their experiences at school and how is their conception of citizenship shaped by their intimate familiarity or mere knowledge of the complex composition of the society.