CIVIC SOCIALIZATION OF THE YOUTH IN THE POST COMUNIST SOCIETIES
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Authors:
• Elena NEDELCU, email: doina.nedelcu@yahoo.com, Afiliation: Associate Professor, Ph.D., Social and Administrative Sciences Faculty, “Nicolae Titulescu” University -
Keywords: political culture, youth, political/ civic socialization
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Abstract:
Sociological studies demonstrated that the level of civic culture leaves its mark on achievements of the democratic institutions and on the level of national and European inclusion. The purpose of this paper paper is to x ray the co ordinates of Romanian political culture by using comparative and three dimensional analysis . It is named comparative because it aspires to reveal the fundamental elements which make it similar with and at the same time different from the European culture model. It is, also, three dimensional because it aims at disclosing cognitive, attitudinal and participative characteristics of Romanian political culture. We notice that the research’results regarding the political culture pattern can orientate the directions and the intensity of the civic socialization process. The general conclusion of this research is the main characteristics of the political culture in Romanian society nowadays are a low level of political communication, low values of the subjective civic competence and of the attachement of the political system , the insufficiency of the cooperation, solidarity, civic organisational participation. These are the typical co ordinates for the dominance of the ”dependent” political culture model in which the feedback from bottom to top (from electors to governors) is insufficient and inconsequent. It is a political culture of passivity and indifference which expresses and maintains a fragile democracy. Under these circumstances, the political socialization agents school also are faced with a new provocation: finding the most efficient strategies for a multidimensional development of democratic citizenship. In Romanian society, teaching civic culture in primary, secondary and high school along with other educational strategies, tries to answer such provocation. Unfortunately, in universities there is no discipline meant to support such an objective. This is why I consider it necessary to introduce a new discipline in universities : Civic sociology.