ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP TODAY

The ACT project examines how cultural and religious diversity shapes active citizenship in Oslo and Copenhagen. It argues that normative definitions of 'good citizenship' often overlook informal, private, and religious forms of engagement. The research highlights that socio-economic divisions within cities often create more significant differences in civic participation than national differences between Norway and Denmark. It also explores the role of life events, such as trauma or exclusion, as catalysts for civic action and proposes 'moderate inclusivism' as a framework for integrating religious arguments into public deliberation.

• Active citizenship is conceptualized as a three-part interlinked structure consisting of a rights dimension (including resources), a participation dimension (the 'acting' of the individual), and a membership dimension (the social and legal recognition of belonging).
• There is a tension between 'disciplining' discourses of active citizenship, which expect citizens to contribute to the nation-state in specific ways, and 'empowering' practices where individuals contribute to their community in ways that may not be normatively recognized.
• Research participants in Oslo and Copenhagen challenge the notion that civic participation only occurs in formal public spaces, emphasizing instead the importance of informal conversations, everyday interactions, and acting as a role model.
• Socio-economic divisions within cities are more influential in explaining types of civic engagement than national differences; for example, greater differences exist between the Oslo neighborhoods of Holmlia and Røa than between Norway and Denmark.
• Religious arenas, such as mosques and minority churches in Norway, are viewed as legitimate spaces for participation by those active within them, but these individuals often feel these spaces are not universally accepted as legitimate by the general public.
• The project proposes 'moderate inclusivism' as a philosophical position that recognizes the positive contributions of religious citizens to public deliberation while requiring specific conditions for respectful dialogue in diverse contexts.
• Individual experiences of loss, exclusion, or degrading treatment can serve as inspirational catalysts for civic participation, particularly for refugees and marginalized groups who may feel a unique responsibility to act based on their experiential knowledge.
• Active citizenship in pluralist societies requires a willingness to compromise, which can be based on instrumental reasons (to ensure the viability of institutions) or principled reasons (respecting others as 'co-rulers' and recognizing epistemic equality).

APA

Horst, C., Bivand, M., Erdal, Fjørtoft, K., Jakobsen, J., Jdid, N., Mouritsen, P., & Olsen, T. V. (2019). ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP TODAY. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/98d97234-c0ed-49bb-9b90-c8f8f66b13c6/Active%20Citizenship%20Today.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Horst, Cindy, Marta Bivand, Erdal, Kjersti Fjørtoft, Jonas Jakobsen, Noor Jdid, Per Mouritsen, and Tore Vincents Olsen. ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP TODAY. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2019. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/98d97234-c0ed-49bb-9b90-c8f8f66b13c6/Active%20Citizenship%20Today.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{horst2019active, author = {Horst, Cindy and Bivand, Marta and Erdal and Fjørtoft, Kjersti and Jakobsen, Jonas and Jdid, Noor and Mouritsen, Per and Olsen, Tore Vincents}, title = {{ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP TODAY}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2019}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/98d97234-c0ed-49bb-9b90-c8f8f66b13c6/Active%20Citizenship%20Today.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }