Abstract

Since citizenship is a contested concept, citizenship education is also a topic for debate and disagreement. The problem of the study included the limitations of national citizenship, the political and social realities of globalization, and the impact of globalization on citizenship and citizenship education. Two descriptive research questions were formulated: How could the demands of the increase in the ethno-cultural diversity of most nations be resolved? How should citizenship education meet the needs of prospective citizens in multicultural globalized communities? The research paradigm of the study was critical theory. The aim was to review the key issues related to the debate on assimilationist and multiculturalist/pluralist citizenship and ways to support diversity and social justice within a framework of political equality for all members of society to participate in the creation of a cohesive and plural civic community. The research design of the study was a conceptual document analysis, and the data gathering and analysis was done in two separate processes but as an ongoing, cyclical, and iterative process. The following aspects were implemented to resolve the tension between national and global citizenship and to prepare students to become critical, knowledgeable, and active citizens within globalized communities: the notion of the long revolution; the social-cultural integration model; the interculturalist model of diversity management; and the issues-centered decision-making social sciences curriculum.