Education for Justice-Oriented and Participatory Citizenship in a Politicized Era in Hong Kong

Abstract

This chapter aims at introducing issues of citizenship education arising from the social, historical, and political context of Hong Kong before and after its handover from Britain to the People's Republic of China in 1997. It then analyzes conceptions and typologies of active and participatory citizenship and the impeding factors affecting promotion of participatory and justice-oriented citizenship in the citizenship education curriculum by reviewing the education policy documents published by the Hong Kong Education Bureau. Ultimately, it conceptualizes four stages of development of citizenship education chronologically in Hong Kong with regard to the nature of politicization and de-politicization. Through reflection on the political movements triggered by young people in recent years in Hong Kong, this chapter concludes by specifying the importance of nurturing participatory and justice-oriented citizens in the citizenship education classrooms with immediate urgency for students' development, especially in the rapidly changing social and political context of Hong Kong.