•  
  •  
 

Document Type

Article in Response to Controversy

Abstract

How do you become a British citizen? Apart from finding yourself one, as an accident of birth, you can choose to become one. This paper looks at that process, because it reveals much about British government assumptions about the community, the role of the citizen, and appropriate education for citizenship. This in turn raises questions about how far these are appropriate assumptions for a country which aspires to be a democracy. I suggest at the end of the paper that studying the concrete example of the British process of becoming a citizen (i.e., naturalisation) may be a good route for school students into understanding the complexities of immigration and possible democratic responses. It will be very much a case of schooling as if democracy matters.

Genre/Form

articles

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Citizenship--Great Britain--Examinations--Study guides

Geographic Coverage

Great Britain--Social conditions--21st century; Great Britain--Politics and government--21st century; Great Britain-Social life and customs--21st century

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

Type

Text

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS