Abstract

VARGAS LOPEZ, Hernán Humberto; ECHAVARRIA GRAJALES, Carlos Valerio; ALVARADO SALGADO, Sara Victoria  and  RESTREPO, Jaime Alberto. Meanings of citizenship in a group of high school students from Manizales ,Colombia. Rev.latinoam.cienc.soc.niñez juv [online]. 2007, vol.5, n.2, pp.691-721. ISSN 1692-715X.

This paper gives an account of a research project that inquired for the meanings of citizenship in a group of 29 high-school students in Manizales (Colombia). The technique of pedagogical workshops was used to obtain information, because it has advantages such as combining semi-structured interviews, in-depth interviews and group discussions. Conclusions indicate that this group of high school boys and girls understand citizenship as referred to four main ideas: the position occupied by the subject in society and culture, the sense of law in the organization of society, the perceptions of the moral and political behavior of leaders and politicians, and the perceptions of the meaning of the city and their relationship to it. It was concluded that this group of boys and girls refers citizenship to action expressed in participation, judgments on the political reality, and the possibility of being represented by others. It is also argued that these students see citizenship within the principles and frameworks of the cultural meaning of the city, expressed in the duties of citizens towards the city, and viceversa. Finally, it si concluded that this group's understanding of citizenship is related to ideas of respect, freedom, social justice and recognition of human potential.

Keywords : Citizenship; City; High-school students; Citizens' action; Citizens' moral obligations; Colombia.

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