When ‘minimalist’ conceptions of citizenship reveal their complexity

This study explores the ways in which a group of secondary teachers in Jamaica think about and understand citizenship and considers how these understandings are informed by the social, economic and political context. The study utilizes an analytic framework of minimal versus critical conceptions of citizenship to highlight the calls by scholars and academics for conceptions of citizenship to reflect concern for issues of fairness, justice and democracy. The findings highlight that while the views of citizenship held by these teachers may be regarded by some as not sufficiently robust, an interpretation of these conceptions in light of the economic, social and political context reveals great complexity.