European Identity - Individual, Group and Society - HumanitarianNet

DOES EUROPE ADMIT OTHER IDENTITIES? MODELS OF INTEGRATION ... 283We use the term “Plural Citizenship” because it is a construction,which incorporates, with diverse degrees of intensity and throughdifferent organizations articulations in space and time, variables such asthe understanding of difference and equality and the universalism ofhuman rights versus the relativist vision of such rights. In order to beable to talk about citizenship we have to refer to the contextualanalysis of these and other elements.The immediate result will be a form of exercising citizenship whichwill be different from, similar to, analogue to or the complete oppositeof other ways of exercising it when the contextual variables in theanalysis are subjected to change. In what way is the experience ofbeing a 40-year-old Afghan who immigrated to Spain to escape theTaliban similar to that of a 20-year-old Gypsy airhostess living in Madridwho can exercise her rights and duties as a citizen?The education system has traditionally played a part in systematicallyincluding this process of construction of citizenship in schools´curricula. In all such curricula, the teaching of democratic valuesconstitutes an objective, which the school simply cannot overlook.Despite various educational reforms, it has always been deemednecessary that the curriculum contribute to the civic formation ofpupils.Firstly, this should be achieved through ¨Explicit Social Formation´established by the curriculum in two aspects; one that is educational/cultural (geography, sciences, mathematics, history, language) andanother that is formative/ideological (religion, ethics, transversalsubjects). It is difficult to differentiate between the two aspects in theclassroom due to the confusion that originates from the limitedknowledge of the pupils.Secondly, this should be achieved through ´Implicit SocialEducation´, which, without being stated in the curriculum, lays downthe guidelines for relationships and social customs that are developedat school and in the classroom and which act as a vehicle for thecustoms and values which guarantee social order in keeping with thecultural norms of a determined group.This is basically what the socialising role of the school consists ofand nobody can argue with that. It is undeniable that socializationconstitutes a necessary and positive process as it contributes to socialcohesion and facilitates young peoples´ adaptation to existing socialorder.Objections arise when schools and their curricula concentrate alltheir energies into the socialization process to the detriment of two ofits other responsibilities, those of teaching and education. Such