"Sigal Ben-Porath examines the relationship among civics education, war and a quest for peace. She draws on examples from Israel and the US to understand how ideas about citizenship change when a country is at war, and what educators can do to prevent some of what she regards as the more harmful of these changes."
Talya Halkin, The Jerusalem Post "The ... Read moretopic of this timely and important book is the challenge to democratic commitments and civic education posed by long-term conflict ... Ben-Porath is sensitive to the constraints imposed by public sponsorship of schools, and she has endeavored to find a balance between patriotism and the protection of civil liberties and minority rights. In adopting this stance, she has developed a position that should be acceptable to anyone in a position of authority who can be brought to acknowledge the peril to democracy inherent in protracted conflict."
Randall Curren, Muna Golmohamad, Theory and Research in Education "With Deweyan insight, Sigal Ben-Porath's timely book focuses on the critical challenge of 'democratic education in times of crisis.' ... [It] should be read and discussed widely and will significantly impact the way many of us think about the democratic purposes and possibilities of civic education for the twenty-first century."
Elizabeth Beaumont, Review of Higher Education "This is an important book. It reminds readers that peace is the ultimate goal in times of conflict and that schooling plays a vital role in achieving peace."
Choice "Citizenship under Fire remains an important contribution to literature on democratic citizenship education."
Meg P. Gardinier, Comparative Education Review Show Less