Abstract

For several years now, the concepts of 'civil culture' and 'civil society' have been widely discussed in the social sciences. Theoretically innovative and empirically rich, this volume is one of few studies that offer solid and focused ethnographic research on how the tenets and assumptions of civil culture are inculcated in schools. The authors examined school curricula, texts and pedagogical practices, observed daily interaction within the schools and outside, and conducted numerous interviews and discussion groups. The experience of students from Turkish backgrounds in the four countries was given special attention, thus offering valuable insights into the changing dynamics of nation-state civil cultures in multicultural societies.

Steven Vertovec is Professor of Transnational Anthropology at the University of Oxford.

“The result is a truly innovative approach to contrasting ideas and practices of building civil cultures.”  ·  Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Werner Schiffauer is Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the European University, Viadrina, Frankfurt, Germany.

Riva Kastoryano is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in International Studies (CNRS), Paris.

Gerd Baumann† was Reader in Social Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.