Bernard Crick (1929-2008) was a British political theorist and public intellectual who had actively engaged in British politics since the 1950s. In 1997, Crick was appointed by his former student, David Blunkett, the Secretary of State for Education, to chair the Advisory Group to provide advice on teaching citizenship and democracy in schools. A year later, the report titled ‘Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools’ was published, commonly referred to as the ‘Crick Report’ (Crick, 1998). This report outlined a vision and ambition for promoting citizenship education in secondary schools. This research seeks to explore Crick’s perspectives on citizenship education and his contribution to the Crick Report of 1998. As a pivotal moment, a qualitative historical study with a combination of documentary and oral history methods has been employed, including the individual archives of Bernard Crick, the institutional archives of the Advisory Group and semi-structured interviews with leading political figures and key individuals involved. These archives contain invaluable undiscovered information, shedding light on the concealed intricacies of the Crick Report and the complicated process of negotiating, reconciling, and compromising between different interests. Such insights can diversify narratives of Crick’s significance in making the Crick Report and deep understanding about the nature, purposes, content, and approaches of citizenship education. Furthermore, concerning the proliferation of populist movements and market forces, examining Crick’s ideas on a change in political culture towards far greater active participation contributes to discussions surrounding the nature of a democratic society.

Authors:
Xiaoyu Wang, University College London, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Xiaoyu Wang is currently a PhD Candidate at IOE/University College London and undertaking a historical study to explore Bernard Crick's ideas about citizenship education and his significance on the Crick Report of 1998

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