This book presents a rare comparative investigation of English and Japanese educational and socio-political contexts. It explores diverse concepts of citizenship and citizenship education from the perspective of citizenship teachers and offers insights into the effective empowerment of young people.

Using varied perspectives on pedagogical approaches, life experiences, and general educational vision observed amongst citizenship teachers in England and Japan, the work uses first-hand interviews with teachers to delve into notions of rights, social justice and social action. Chapters offer insights into conceptualizing justice-oriented citizenship in various forms; designing citizenship education that supports the participation rights of young people; and how to support teacher education programmes to nurture teachers’ visions for social justice. Chapters further demonstrate the value of exploring citizenship teachers’ approaches to the design of education policies and practices based on human rights principles, particularly the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Ultimately, the book discusses the possibilities of nurturing agentic, justice-oriented citizens, encouraging a sense of belonging and critical reflection on socio-political concerns.

Providing holistic, theoretical knowledge to support an understanding of shared but diverse conceptions of citizenship and citizenship education, this book will be of interest to scholars, researchers, and postgraduate students involved with citizenship education, international and comparative education, and the sociology of education.