Being a good citizen or being a good human? Perspectives on citizenship from Dutch students
Being a good citizen or being a good human? Perspectives on citizenship from Dutch students

Summary/Abstract: This article addresses the issue of how Dutch university students conceptualize "good citizenship," offering a discursive, constructivist perspective grounded in postmodern ethics and critical discourse analysis (CDA). Drawing on McLaughlin's (1992) typology of minimal and maximal citizenship, and the concept of citizenship regimes (Jenson, 1998), the study shows the research into how students define and negotiate civic identity in the Dutch context. It responds to the moralization of citizenship in Dutch policy since the 1990s, where citizenship has become increasingly framed in terms of behavioural norms, cultural conformity, and individual responsibility. Based on 25 semi-structured interviews with students from various academic backgrounds, the study proves that students overwhelmingly describe good citizenship in moral and relational terms rather than legal, institutional, or political ones. Across the interviews, key values include respect, helpfulness, and caring for others. Rather than simply adhering to rules, students emphasize empathy and situational responsibility. Concepts like the Dutch rekening houden (being considerate of others) exemplify this relational ethic. The findings suggest that students internalize and personalize civic norms, shifting from external obligations to context-sensitive, ethical engagement with others. While rarely referencing formal duties such as voting, students consistently frame good citizenship as grounded in everyday moral conduct and social fluency. This supports Biesta and Lawy's (2006) argument for shifting from teaching citizenship to supporting students in learning democracy as an experienced, relational process. This has important implications for citizenship education: rather than focusing on formal knowledge or behavioural compliance, schools should create spaces for ethical reflection and relational learning that align with how young people actually engage in democratic life.

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