Encountering friction between liberal and neoliberal discourses of citizenship: A non-governmental organization’s entrepreneurship education in Tanzania

Abstract

Educating for citizenship is increasingly situated within the tension of ensuring social, political, and civil rights while also promoting participation in the global market. The literature and practice on educating for citizenship often assumes a liberal perspective with attention to political and civil rights. A growing body of literature shows how neoliberal ideas and values of individual responsibility, empowerment, and participation in the market economy are increasingly influencing education for citizenship. This article draws on data from a non-governmental organization’s entrepreneurship education program in Tanzania that aims to foster both rights and skills development for employment in a global market. Using Tsing’s idea of friction, I uncover the productive possibilities between these different discourses to show how local meanings of educating for citizenship are emerging to include those who are socially marginalized, to attend to material needs, and to foster new social and political identities among Tanzanian youth.