Meaningful Citizenship

"Betekenisvol Burgerschap"

In 2016, I illustrated a handbook for teachers-in-learning, about how they can educate young children (age 6-12) about philosophical and religious matters in an increasingly diverse classroom. It’s called Verhalen vertellen en vragen stellen (Telling stories and asking questions), and is written by my former study pal Tamar Kopmels - we both studied theology at the University of Amsterdam in the 1990s; I went on to comics, she got into philosophy and education.

Since this book is mandatory for prospective teachers, it has done really well and got a second, revised print, with a blue cover in 2020.

And now, in 2023, there’s a third print (with a new, green cover), for which I drew about forty new illustrations and comics, to go with a brand new chapter on what is called Meaningful Citizenship.

Citizenship, Burgerschap in Dutch, has become a mandatory part of young children’s curriculum in Holland: it teaches a sense of connectedness and responsibility towards others - at least, we hope it does. Tamar made the wise decision to link the concept of Citizenship to philosophical and religious themes that are already expanded on in the book, and call it Meaningful Citizenship.

Here’s how the three students we introduced in the book react:

And here are a few of the illustrations I made:

Living together as neighbors: the tension between personal freedom and collective responsibility.

Teaching Citizenship should not be about shoving information into kids’ faces, but rather a process of exploring issues together.

Society as a “playing field” full of tensions.

When we talk about “family”, does it mean the same to each child?

When telling traditional stories about kings, monks, farmers and children, why not switch gender roles for a change?

This one went with a story about Plato: the Self is guided by a white horse and a black horse.

Good citizenship may involve going against the rules - as illustrated with the story of Rosa Parks, who refused to sit at the back of the bus.

This one went with a story about a woman who lost her four cows. I love how this one came out.

No comment. Make up your own story for this one! :D

My copy just arrived and I must say I’m pretty proud of this work. It has an impact on a new generation of teachers and I got to contribute! As an easter egg, I put my comic character Kiki and her friends on the new cover.

If anyone is interested, it can be purchased here (mind you: in Dutch!).

Thanks to Tamar’s lively writing style and the inclusion of many stories (about half the book is stories, and the book is over 400 pages!) it’s an entertaining read for anyone with an interest in philosophical and educational matters - not just for teachers!