ABSTRACT
Attention to and concern about education for citizenship appears to have increased in recent years throughout the world, at least in terms of the extent of discussion and the number of proposals put forward. Of course, some of the reasons for this vary from country to country, but it is possible to identify several common themes (see, for example, contributions in Timmer and Veldhuis 1996). These include concerns about:
• low levels of participation in local and national elections; • a perceived rise in intolerance, xenophobia and racism; • the apparent alienation and marginalisation of some young people from
the mainstream of society.
