The Space and Time of Citizenship in Education

Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate that Citizenship is a multidimensional, dynamic and polysemic concept that imposes itself as a clear challenge to formal education. The historical, political, social and cultural continuum that supports the complexity of the Citizenship concept also determines the existence of different curricular strategies over time, both in Europe and in Portugal (Eurydice, 2005, 2012; Menezes 2003a). In this sense, based on a literature review, we: i) synthesize pedagogical approaches in the field Citizenship Education, based on the different conceptions of Citizenship presented; ii) highlight the path of Citizenship Education in the Portuguese Education System, as well as the multiple legislative guidelines and curricular strategies that embodied the web of “educational experiences” in this area. We conclude this work with evidences of a political and curriculum “headwind” in Portugal in the field of
Citizenship Education, after the publication of the Decree‑Law
No. 139/2012, highlighting some of the key lessons that decades of “rhetoric priorities” in educational policy (Menezes & Ferreira, 2012, p. 134) show us.