Chapter 1: Introduction

We are often asked how this research project came into being, how we came to focus on this project on socially responsible citizens at this point in time, and how the case studies were selected. In the hopes of facilitating the work of others we start with a brief summary of the process that resulted in this book. Nearly all of the authors contributing to this book have been collaborators with the coeditors on other projects in the civic/citizenship education field over the past 20 years. We have been colleagues in research projects globally and specifically in the Asia-Pacific Region, and have made a significant contribution to the literature over the past two decades.¹ Having worked closely together over this timeframe, we continue to keep in contact, meet at professional and scholarly meetings, and often play with ideas for new projects when we get together. In brief, the selection process was based on professional networking and previous collaborations.²