Understanding citizenship from dialogues : the umbrella movement from the liberal studies curriculum perspectives in Hong Kong

Abstract

The Umbrella Movement mobilized a considerable amount of Hong Kong citizens to occupy roads in pursuit of real universal suffrage. People expressed their opinions towards different social issues by joining different public forums, posting written notes and producing art work at the protest sites. Many spaces for dialogues were created to accommodate the abundance of expressions in this unprecedented social movement.

This movement gave rise to a variety of modes of dialogues and a wide spectrum of views regarding the present social and political climate, revealing a nuanced understanding of citizenship. Conflicts between parties of different political stances were constantly observed. The exposed political dissent resulted in frequent verbal insults and occasional physical violence captured by the mass media. Interpersonal relationships in the private and public realms were intense, yielding to increasing tensions in society.

Given the tense social atmosphere and varied understanding of citizenship revealed in the movement, this research investigated the contextualized understanding of citizenship in hopes of shedding lights on citizenship development in Hong Kong. The new paradigm of understanding pluralism and the value of dialogues were explored in this critical episode of Hong Kong history. The contextualized citizenship intended to respond to and gave insights into the development of the Liberal Studies Curriculum for nurturing citizenship of the younger generations.