Teaching Citizenship is a subversive activity

This paper attempts to re-examine some significant educational sociology from the 1970s in addressing the real impact of the introduction of Citizenship Education as a National Curriculum Subject. The title is both a statement of intent and as identifying the homage paid to Postman and Weingartner (1976) who shaped many of my insights and much of my understanding as a student teacher and as a practitioner. The paper borrows heavily from their ideas in order to demonstrate both the re-emerging importance of their polemic stance which emphasised a need for belief, commitment and passion in educational research;it is argued that their work remains relevant because so little of substance has changed. The influences of other writers and researchers of that time are also evident.