Communities and Habits of Citizenship : Everyday Participation in Kondoa, Tanzania

Abstract

This chapter contributes to the debates concerning contextualized conceptualizations of citizenship. Based on the work of pragmatist philosopher John Dewey, it offers a definition of citizenship as constructed in everyday communities in the course of taking care of shared issues. Further, it examines the habits of citizenship that are both acquired and reformulated in the processes of participation in these communities. The empirical example of villages in Kondoa District, Tanzania illustrates the diverse communities in which inhabitants participate, and the kinds of habits acquired. Six types of communities, the village community, cultural groups, religious groups, self-help groups, economic groups and civil society organizations’ groups were identified. Further, six categories of citizenship habits emerged including political citizenship, engaging citizenship, economic citizenship, cultural citizenship, responsible citizenship and moral citizenship.