ABSTRACT
It is a role in which great hopes have been invested. The French revolutionaries thought that the role of citoyen and citoyenne could supersede the unfortunate divisions of the ancien regime. Many countries have tried to improve the quality of their democracy by setting up courses in how to be a citizen - often to the detriment of education. To be a citizen is thought more honorific than being a mere subject. These hopes are the context of our concern with citizenship.
