Meanings and significations of financial crisis:

Students’ discourse in Greek “Youth Parliament”

Eleni Sotiropoulou, Educator specialized in Primary Education, MSc in Cultural Studies, Post

student in Educational Politic

Argyris Kyridis, Professor

Ifigenia Vambakidou, ass. Professor, University of Western Macedonia

In particular we apply the figurative/thematic/axiological analysis which is based

on semantic formulated by Greimas

The participants in the “Youth Parliament” educational program are high school students who are chosen by lot in order to speak at plenary sessions

In this part of the research we examine selected written discourses of students as they have been edited by the parliament

These proceedings are to be analysed as a social and political material in order to deconstruct the students’ perceptions of the “financial crisis”

In 2010, 33 statements have been extracted from the main body of the proceedings and have been divided in the following thematic categories: cultural, educational, ethical, medical, social.

Introduction Citizenship education has become an increasingly

important means of learning people’s rights and responsibilities. Citizenship Education, helps teenagers understand their role as citizens, develop a commitment to their role practically, and ultimately engage in critical reflection on the rights and responsibilities associated with this role

The value of an experience is judged by the effect that it has on the individual’s present, future, and to the extent in which the individual is able to contribute to society (Dewey, 1938)

We are interested in citizenship’s legal notion (βλ. Dekker, 1994: 67).

Citizenship as a political notion

We approach citizenship in the field of Political comprehension Political identity Political literacy

Παπαπέτρου Σάββας & Γερογιάννης Κωνσταντίνος ΔΙΑΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΙΚH ΕΚΠΑIΔΕΥΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΛΙEΡΓΕΙΑ ΕΘΝΙΚHΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΚΟΠΟΛΙΤΙΚHΣ ΣΥΝΕIΔΗΣΗΣ ΣΤΟΥΣ ΜΑΘΗΤEΣ

The Students’ discourse

The Youth Parliament in Greece is an example of Educating Active Citizenship. It is an educational program of the Greek Parliament started in 1995

The programme aims at fostering positive attitudes towards the value of citizenship and at initiating into the principles, rules and practices of democracy

In the Youth Parliament programme, taking place in the Greek Parliament , secondary schoolstudents, freely and responsibly express their opinions and objections on what is happening around them along with their visions, seeking for their proposals to be implemented by those who legislate

The students discourse as a procedure

of active citizenshipThe Youth Parliament programme concerns students who attend the B class of Lykeion:

high schools (public, private, special, evening), and technical schools in country

students of Greek high schools abroad students of the B class of high and technical

schools of Cyprus

Teenagers who participate in the programme must not be over 20 years old

Youth Parliament concerns all class B students

Greek schools

Cyprusschools

Greek schoolsabroad

Specialschools

Technicalschool

Highschool

Highschool

Technicalschool

Cyprus(20)

Greece(260)

Greek Diaspora(20)

Nicosia (7)

Limmasol (4)

Karpas (1)

Famagusta (3)

Larnaca (2)

Paphos (2)Kyrenia (1)

German (6)

Belgium (1)

U.S.A. (2)

England (1)

Libya (1)

Australia (2)

Israel (1) Jordan (1)

Canada (2)

Egypt (2)

Ethiopia (1)

Greek Youth Parliament 2010

Territory (8)

Schools that have

demonstrated distinct social / cultural actions

(4)

Special and EveningSchools

(4)

All schools(252)

The procedure of participation Teachers are aware of the programme and

inform their students Students who will participate in the

program come at the high school computer labs at a date determined by the school and complete the online form for participation

The total duration of the electronic process is two hours

The preparation of the required tests so far is replaced by two questions whose answers are sent electronically to the Institute of Parliament

The procedure for participation

The first question asks “why you want to participate in the Youth Parliament” while the second one asks from students to write their opinion on a thematic which they selected

The 300 students whose texts are selected, are invited to participate for three days in the Greek Parliament

The procedure for participation the proposals of all students are being

sent to the assessment center, included in summarized documents in order to be discussed by the teenagers

the 300 selected students are being divided into 6 committees

the debate withinn committees is following the Rules of the Greek Parliament

Students informed by teachers

Students completethe online formfor participation

300 texts fromadolescents

selected

Greek YouthParliament

260 as the number

of deputies elected to national elections

20 fromCyprus

20 fromGreek

Diaspora

Students dividedinto six Committees

All proposals included and summarized

in a document for each

committee

Proposals in the debate,

put to the vote

Written workmust be interesting

and have completeness,documentation,

support for the arguments,logic of consistency,

originality conception,creative imagination,

etc.

Greek Youth Parliament

teenagers members divided into

committees/based to written work

Committee onDefense

and Foreign Affairs

Committe onAdministrationPublic Order and Justice

Committee on Cultural Affairs

Committee on Social Affairs

Committee on

Economic Affairs

Committee on

Production Commerce

Youth Parliament – During a committee session

Theoretical field A progressive policy needs more than just a bigger break

with the economic and moral assumptions of the past 30 years.

It needs a return to the conviction that economic growth and the affluence it brings is a means and not an end (Hobsbawm, 2009)

The rediscovery of Marx has to some extent been done by businessmen as, ever since the late 90s, they have started talking in terms of saying “Marx predicted this globalization” and again now we find people thinking that “Capitalism operates as a series of crisis”.

Students as citizens Students ARE citizens when they

participate in and contribute to the well being of their community. Do students participate in their

community's activities? Do students demonstrate constructive

behaviors? Do students understand and participate in

the democratic process?

The sample and the methodology

The statements that have been found in the “oral discourse” are few. Hence we choose the qualitative analysis. In specific and because of the rhetoric/politic quality of the students’ speeches, which compose a “rhetoric practice” aiming at convincing their public audience, we apply Aristotelian rhetoric, structuralistic analysis and Greimas’ analytic proposal.

On Rhetoric, Aristotle applies numerous concepts and arguments that are also treated in his logical, ethical, and psychological writings.

His theory of rhetorical arguments is one further application of his general doctrine of the sullogismos, which also forms the basis of dialectic, logic, and his theory of demonstration

Theoretical filed various forms of expertise on human rights, citizenship and

identities is rapidly expanding as governments, international agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and private sector organisations become increasingly sensitive and interested in questions about rights and identities (School of Sociology and Social Policy, Law and Social Siences Building, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD)

-many 'national' versions of citizenship have reached crisis point. Yet what does it mean to think of yourself as a national or global citizen?

BRADLEY A. U. LEVINSON (2005). Reflections on the Field Citizenship, Identity, Democracy: Engaging the Political in the Anthropology of Education: Anthropology & Education Quarterly Volume 36,327-340

the worldwide movement for democratic citizenship education can have important comparative lessons. Recent scholarship has highlighted, once again, just how much the meanings of democratic citizenship, and the purposes of public schooling for achieving that citizenship, have varied and shifted historically in the United States.

For over 200 years, we have engaged in a debate about how schooling can contribute to the "common good" (in BRADLEY A. U. LEVINSON, 2005). The stakes in this debate are now higher than ever, for the common good is apparently out of style.

We have moved further away from citizenship, Walter Parker (2003) would say, into idiocy-that is, in the original Greek, separation and self-centeredness, rather than public-mindedness.

We can help publicize the efforts and debates, the lessons learned, in other countries, to revitalize our own efforts at citizenship education for democracy (ibidem, 337) .

It is the Rhetoric that informs us about the cognitive features of language and style. From the structure of Rhet. I & II we focus on the first division that consists of the distinction among the three means of persuasion:

The speech can produce persuasion either a) through the character of the speaker, b)the emotional state of the listener, or c) the argument (logos) itself

In our case the issue is about the argument (logos) itself

In semiotics, the figurative / thematic / axiological analysis which is based on a semantic typology formulated by Greimas, it is also used. An element of content (a seme or an isotopy) may be figurative, thematic or axiological

Analysis The aim of this analysis is to highlight the

typology of “syllogismos” that has been used by Greek students in order to reveal the functions of their “language” and their comprehension about the specific political issue

We are wondering whether the thematic of the

economical crisis is characterized by its strictly conceptual nature: i.e economics is a theme, and its various concrete manifestations are education, health system, government system etc.

Examples of Student’s Discourse

Economic crisis as a social crisisHowever, I firmly believe that the problem of Greece is not the economic crisis. The problem ofGreece is a deep social crisis

Economic crisis as a moral crisis / loss of national identity / responsibility of EU citizens

So in times of crisis - not only economic but moral – States must maintain a balance, and there is a risk

of a major cultural deterioration and loss of national identity

Examples of Student’s Discourse

The financial crisis in the context of migrationNow we are at a critical juncture in the economy and there is a crisis so, I can not understand why an economic migrant would come in Greece

Economic crisis because of American influenceWe tend to give high priority to the financial crisis, worrying about the economy, we give weight to the money we pay, once the country enters a phase of concern and controversy because of bad influences and ideas motivated by others, mainly America

Results According to the rational thinking

and the analysis of Greimas we find that students define the financial crisis using causality, metaphors and evaluations

In the total of 33 students’ statements the direct references in financial crisis are 14.

Results

Students use causality in syllogismos, relating the financial crisis to

• the absence of art education• the field of social, political,

environmental, ethical, moral, cultural alienation

• the context of Greek militarism and nationalism

• the context of immigration• the absence of tourism

• the absence of geopolitical strategy• the absence of alternative ecological sources• the traditional greek family’s context• the unemployment• the Greek educational system• the Medicare• the absence of respect to democracy • the american impact

Metafors-dipolic notions

STUDENTS USE METAFORS in order to define the financial crisis through contradictions as

• Muck vs clean• Deep vs superficial• Destruction vs creation• Death vs life• Monologue vs dialogue• Obedience vs authority• Anarchic vs class

EvaluationsThey also use evaluations in order to clarify the

financial crisis as• Imprudence vs Logical • Imprudence vs Providence • Imbalance vs Equilibrium • Danger vs Safety• Loss vs Preservation• Shortage vs Surplus• Difficulty vs Opulence• Regional vs Central

Discussion Students realize the social and

political dimensions of the financial crisis in the level of global and national impacts

They focus on the national causes They have proposals as far as it

concerns the Education

The figures and themes of the financial crisis derive from an axiology: They are correlated with a value in the category of euphoria/dysphoria (or in non-technical terms, pleasure/displeasure or positive/negative

In student's syllogisms appears that the financial crisis cancels the economic, cultural and ideological globalization

Many researchers have already defined the nature of the financial crisis as the nature of capitalism and globalization

Alain Soupiot, 2005 Homo juridicus, Essai sur la fonction anthropologique du droit, Seuil

Nevertheless students don’t understand the meaning of social justice “working is not a commodity and economy doesn’t have an end in itself”

Alain Soupiot, 2010, L’ esprit de Philadelphie, Seuil