The Debate on University, Citizenship and Democracy

In this essay, Bishara explores the relationship between university education and democratic culture. Moving beyond the relationship between the two – that is the ratio of the number of educated and their education degrees and the attendant potential for democracy and its stability – Bishara focuses instead on the political culture of those who are educated, and their values. His conclusions are based on the 2015 Arab Opinion Index, which showed that stances on democracy and citizenship do not change based on one’s education degree. He also presents an interpretive analysis of these results in a comparative study between the different impacts of university institutions and free universal education in Europe on the one hand, and the Arab status quo and its relationship with democracy and citizenship on the other – this in view of the fact that universities are meant to bring together large masses of youth coming from different areas and social backgrounds, and to be a major melting pot of the nation, and a natural environment for citizenship.

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In this essay, Bishara explores the relationship between university education and democratic culture. Moving beyond the relationship between the two – that is the ratio of the number of educated and their education degrees and the attendant potential for democracy and its stability – Bishara focuses instead on the political culture of those who are educated, and their values. His conclusions are based on the 2015 Arab Opinion Index, which showed that stances on democracy and citizenship do not change based on one’s education degree. He also presents an interpretive analysis of these results in a comparative study between the different impacts of university institutions and free universal education in Europe on the one hand, and the Arab status quo and its relationship with democracy and citizenship on the other – this in view of the fact that universities are meant to bring together large masses of youth coming from different areas and social backgrounds, and to be a major melting pot of the nation, and a natural environment for citizenship.

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