Recognition as an essential foundation for citizenship education

Abstract

This study was conducted during five years of research as part of a doctoral dissertation project aimed at identifying how interpersonal recognition takes place in schools and it’s essential for the citizenship education they provide; in addition, it revealed the meanings the students find in different forms of recognition and citizenship education. The main theoretical framework of the present study was the entire work developed by Axel Honneth from the Critical Theory: “Eventually, Honneth formulated his own version of the Critical Theory, which has aroused sufficient interest as to talk —in his own words— of ‘a turn towards the theory of recognition’” (Honneth, 2009c: 28). Methodologically, the study was conducted within the broad field of qualitative research, particularly in terms of recent educational ethnography, ensuring rigor and reliability in conjugating multiple case studies, application of moral dilemmas, interviews, workshops, questionnaires, and document review.

The place for this research was the school, specifically ten schools in the city of Neiva, Huila (Colombia). The results show the urgent need of setting citizenship education in subjects, in their ability to recognize others and to be recognized in others by their equal dignity. Also, they highlight the school as a privileged facilitator space for socialization and as a natural environment for citizenship education.