From Good ``User'' to Good Citizen? The Political Effects on Families of Education Policies in France
Résumé
This article analyzes the contribution of education policies to the shaping of citizenship in France. We connect two inquiries. The first, about Moral and Civic Teaching, is a case of policy intentionally devoted to convey civic norms. The second, about the ordinary government of parents, concerns diffuse civic socialization at school. We ask how, and to what extent, the political order of school\textemdash composed of policy programs and institutional routines\textemdash builds civic behaviors throughout an intertwinement between school-related norms and citizenship standards. The analysis mainly relies on qualitative data\textemdash hundreds of interviews and ethnography\textemdash taking into account various contexts in France regarding the schools and the geographic situations. Education policies not only appear central in the definition of civic norms and the ``good'' ways of acting politically in France, but may also be critical in other democratic systems where school plays a comparable role in the socialization to and by the state. Related Articles in this Special Issue: Barrault-Stella, Lorenzo, and Thomas Douniès. 2021. ``Introduction to the Special Issue: Citizenship as a Tool of Government in Europe.'' Politics & Policy 49 (4). Haapajärvi, Linda. 2021. ``On the Importance of Playing House: Belonging Work and the Making of Relational Citizens in Finnish Immigrant Integration Policies.'' Politics & Policy 49 (4). Skowronska, Kaja. 2021. ``The Recent Politicization of Immigration in Poland in Light of Preexisting State Practices: Continuity or Change in the Understanding of Citizenship and Nationhood?'' Politics & Policy 49 (4). \textcopyright 2021 Policy Studies Organization