THE INFLUENCE OF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND SOCIAL CONTEXT ON THE PHENOMENON OF RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP

Abstract

As of today, responsible citizenship is mostly interpreted as a new philosophical concept that is being debated within influential international organizations such as the UN or UNESCO and has influenced academic discussions in many countries. However, when we proceed with a detailed analysis of this issue, we will see that it has its origins in the early democracies, while at the same time it has inherited a number of unresolved problems that are inherent in democratic societies. For this reason, the article analyzes the factors that influence the understanding of the concept of responsible citizenship. Certain historical patterns have been found that actualize the issue of responsible citizenship in different communities at different time intervals. Historical parallels in the discourse on responsible citizenship are made. An attempt is also made to determine the role of the phenomenon of responsible citizenship in the modern context of social culture. For this, in particular, the research method of the Canadian philosopher Will Kymlicka was used, which focuses on analyzing the dynamics and relational process of acquiring and realizing one's potential by a citizen. Wil Kymlicka coined the term citizenization, which the Canadian interprets as a comprehensive approach to studying the phenomenon of responsible citizenship based on historical processes and social projects. Citizenship can also be characterized as a society's duty to organize social relations based on the fundamental political values of freedom and democracy. However, not all societies are ready for such an approach due to the lack of democratic development, and some are unable to identify the problem and start implementing mechanisms for its realization. The author concludes that different concepts of responsible citizenship often exist in parallel in the same societies and often conflict with each other. Building relationships within the framework of responsible citizenship is a global historical and social project. Very often, in order to achieve qualitative changes, society needs to change the order of social relations based on the fundamental political values of freedom, democracy and historical experience.