European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

10.Dilemmas and Tasks in the Formationof Education-based Professionals in the Contextof European Citizenship and European IdentityAlistair RossChildren’s Identity and Citizenship in Europe Thematic NetworkInstitute for Policy Studies in EducationLondon Metropolitan University, United KingdomThis paper will consider the tensions and issues that are created incontemporary Europe around the idea of identity – individual identityand group identity (or “citizenship”). It will in particular examine thechallenges that these present to the education-based professionals: thepeople who are responsible for the development of children’s andyoung people’s sense of individuality and their skills and understandingof participation in society.To begin with the concept of individual identity. Identity can beseen as a combination of unique qualities and identification withgroups with whom the individual perceives that they have attributesand values in common. Thus the fact that individuals have an identitymeans that they have acted to discriminate. They have distinguishedthemselves from others. Because in very many cases —the great majorityof cases— the identity is with a group: they have identified as a memberof a group that defines itself, at least in part, from “the other”. Identityformation that attaches individuals to particular groups necessitates theidentification of the other, of the non-group. Citizenship is in part aboutduties and obligations to others, but generally to others in “the group”(which may be defined as a community, a nation or to humanity atlarge).There are particular tasks for professional educators in establishingand championing a child’s or young person’s individual unique identity.The teacher, for example, helps them assert their individual rights. Theeducator also must stress that stresses with these rights there are obliga-