Preparing for emergencies: citizenship education, ‘whiteness’ and pedagogies of security

Crises in national security and citizenship education have rarely been articulated in the same theoretical frame. Using state plans for recovery from nuclear war and for civil contingencies in the ‘war on terror’, this paper examines how plans for state collapse and reconstruction are articulated through existing forms of citizenship regime and pedagogy. Preparedness is becoming embedded within citizenship education as is the notion of security as a pedagogical concern. Continuities between citizenship education and ‘preparedness’, emphasis on citizenship education against particular conceptions of extremism, and adult education initiatives such as the Citizen Corps are examined through critical policy analysis. Although these initiatives are embedded within national histories and polities, the continuities between earlier citizenship initiatives in the Cold War and current initiatives in what has been promoted as the ‘war on terror’ are emphasized. It is argued that conceptions of national identity and (centrally) whiteness, as well as changing security contexts, are necessary in understanding the ways in which citizenship education is becoming concerned with the responsive citizen as part of the national security architecture.