The Objective of Citizen Education in the Global Era

The objective of citizen education is to make democrats, but that is a broad objective which raises more questions than answers, when we seek to translate it into more specific objectives for civic education. We can distinguish between two types of challenges in that endeavor. On one hand, there are challenges connected to the need to specify democratic values and norms as they unfold in different historical and social contexts, on the other hand, there are challenges related to how to meet and practice democratic values and norms in these various contexts. Education must address both. In short, what is the contextual conditions for democracy? And how do you practice democracy in various contexts? In globalization, the state as the frame for democratic actions have weakened in many ways. Being employed in global companies, being a consumer on the internet, being a member of ngo’s, engaging in activities related to refugee flows etc. citizens act as decision-makers in settings and problems partly beyond the jurisdiction and protection of their democratic home state. The question is how to act democratically in these (often) undemocratic and un-transparent settings? And how does citizen education address that challenge? In a study of social science in Danish upper secondary school I have tried to throw light on the development on changing educational objectives of citizen education from loyalty towards the democratic state, over the enlightened voter and the democratic participant to what could be termed the reflected self-governor. The latter representing the innovative field of democratic citizen education.