CITIZENSHIP, EDUCATION AND POSTMODERNITY

This paper explores the significance for citizenship education of clai ms that Western society is undergoing a major cultural reorientation, known by its protagonists as postmodernism, which is said to have wide -ranging implications for knowledge, morality, politics and individual identities. In particular, the posited changes raise doubts about the future of citizenship, and the discussion reviews two responses to th ese questions: Heater's optimistic proposal for a return to the classi cal ideal, and Wexler's pessimistic assessment of the prospects for ci tizenship in a society dominated by television and the consumption of images. A third perspective is suggested, based on the expansion of th e idea of citizenship from civil, political and welfare entitlements t o greater participation in the cultural and economic dimensions of eve ryday life. It is argued that such a concept can inform a comprehensiv e and coherent approach to citizenship, and a successful curriculum in citizenship education.