中国公民教育的历史语境与当代使命

The State,Public Sphere and Citizenship: The Historical Context and Contemporary Tasks of Chinese Civic Education

在传统中国社会中,"公"字具有指称"尊长"、"诸侯"、"国君"等社会伦理和政治多方面的主体性内涵。在中国近代社会变革的进程中,"公"字的主体性内涵,又相继经历了从指称国家(政府)的"公家",到面向全体国民开放的"公域"(公共领域),再到可以直接面对国家的个体"公民"的演变。这一平民化的历史演变路线,昭示着当代中国公民教育在确认全体国民作为"合法公民"政治身份的同时,还必须改造传统儒家"家国一体"、"公私不分"的血缘、亲缘和家族伦理模式,从而使当代中国公民在当前的流动社会中承担起对"陌生人"的道德责任。与此同时,为有效抑制作为公权力执行者的官员之私,应当使"公家"成为中国"法治公民"的质询对象。它意味着,"公域",不仅应当成为"公民与公民"之间的交往平台,而且应当同时成为"公民与公家"之间的交往平台。惟其如此,在日常社会生活中,我们才能形成一种个体在日常社会生活中可以普遍通过自主选择成为"法治公民"、"道德公民"和"荣誉公民"的教育生态。

The term ＂public＂ in Chinese traditional society has multiple aspects meanings which including social, political and ethical values. While the concept of ＂public＂ in Chinese con- text has transformed its subjectivities from ＂the king＂ to ＂the state＂ and then to ＂public sphere＂, such a popularizing route has also indicated that China＇ s citizenship education not only should draw lessons from western concept of ＂legislating citizenship＂ which based on democratic politics but also should shoulder the mission of reconstruct the traditional Confucianism, to undertake the moral re- sponsibility for ＂others＂ in contemporary mobile society. To form a mechanism to restrict the private tendency of the government, which should not be put back on the old way of improving ＂moral edu- cation＂, but to make sure ＂the state＂ become the object to which inquiries are addressed and by which found a political practical mechanism between ＂the state＂ and ＂citizens＂ to balance the rights disputes through consultation on the basis of equality. That is to say, the ＂public sphere＂ should not only become a communication platform between the citizens but also between ＂the state＂ and ＂citi- zens＂, and then the ＂public sphere＂ may become the main approach to form China＇ s ＂honorary cit- izenship＂, ＂moral citizenship＂ and ＂legislating citizenship＂.