Religion, Catholic civil society and the struggle over notions of citizenship in the Spanish education system: A case of a parents’ association (1975–2013)

The place of religion in public life has not diminished as predicted by modernization and secularization theories in the mid-1970s. Education is an especially sensitive issue in debates over moral and civic issues related to religious worldviews and institutions. Due to the death of the Spanish dictator in 1975, catholic sectors lost an important ally and were forced to reposition themselves in relation to the state. This paper examines how this process of adaptation to changing state-church relations shaped catholic groups’ strategies for engaging the public sphere and explores how their discourse and demands regarding education were formulated in response to governmental policies. The rise of a public, collective, egalitarian model—which entrusted the state with ensuring equal opportunities for all citizens, clashed with the demands of catholic circles to guarantee their values and lifestyle through a private, individual liberty-focused model. These two educational agendas were linked to opposing notions of citizenship. Through a historical case-study of a catholic parents’ association, CONCAPA (Confederación Católica Nacional de Padres de Familia y Padres de Alumnos), we contribute to current debates concerning the role of religion in society, its educational implications, and how notions of state and citizenship are affected by the changing configurations of political power in a specific historical context.