A young concept in a new country

Abstract

For a long established nation-state, Britain’s tradition of citizenship is very young. This article takes the form of a debate rather than being based on empirical research to examine developments of the past decade that have resulted in a steady entrenchment of this concept into official British structures. Citizenship is likely to be more engrained in the consciousness of the young than any other age group following the introduction of its teaching in schools in 2002. Britain’s youth have multiple possible affiliations including European identity and often other ethnic origins, be they Irish, French Hugenot or from the countries of the ex-British Empire. Balancing competing demands from different groups (generational, ethnic and otherwise) is a contemporary UK reality that is ever more acute during the current period of economic downturn. Lazy characterizations of British youth as disconnected from politics ignore the multifaceted nature of both young people and the ways in which they are currently active in civic life.