Citizenship Education Politics and Civic Participation in Communities and Schools: Actors, Conflicts and Political Choices

Convenor: Andrea Szukala (Professor for Citizenship Education and Social Studies Didactics, University of Bielefeld and University of Muenster/from 2015, Bielefeld/Münster (Germany) Personal: Associate Professor in Social Studies Didactics and Citizenship Education (Full Professorship from 2015); PhD on Democracy and regulation in Europe (More detail: http://ekvv.uni-bielefeld.de/pers_publ/publ/PersonDetail.jsp?personId=8904335). Co-convenor: Nina Belyaeva, Professor of National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Moscow (Russia) Personal: Head of the Public Policy Department at the Russian National Research University Moscow Higher School of Economics, Academic Director of HSE Masters Program “Political Analysis & Public Policy”, OSCE/ODIHR expert panel on the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (More detail: http://www.hse.ru/en/org/persons/67534 ). Section abstract In most political systems, the politics of participation and citizenship education engender political conflicts, namely in the fields of educational and constituent regulation. Since traditional institutions whose task have been the making of “citizens” have lost importance, the different forms of regulating “the political” in the field of youth politics and education have become particularly salient issues in the recent decades. Meanwhile, new limitations of democracy in late capitalist societies and new political spaces, like the European Union, have emerged, and multiple new actors have deeply transformed the field, the technologies and practices of participation and citizenry. While the delimitation of citizenship and the legitimation of civic education turn into issues of political debate and public dispute, (young) citizens autonomously appropriate the political sphere and develop different identities and new political practices, notably in the newly democratized systems and in transitional and crisis countries. Due to meta-processes such as globalization, societal heterogeneity and the marketization of education, which persistently affect the task description of civic education in schools in established democratic systems, the legitimation and the effectiveness of mass public schooling for the political socialization of the young is constantly scrutinized, evaluated and re-regulated. Simultaneously, the opportunities for democratic participation and learning and the limits of the political sphere have been the objects of regulation in their own right, establishing different degrees of political inclusiveness by regulating political access (e.g. voting age) or (re-)modeling the roles of actors in democratic deliberation (e.g. disfavored citizenry in troubled social environments). Accordingly, the conveners of this section invite panels and papers that are concerned with theoretical and empirical issues in the fields of the governance of citizenship education and civic participation under democratic and authoritarian rule. We are interested in research about the differential realizations of citizen participation and/or participatory practices, the regulation and the evaluation of the effectiveness of citizenship education, and the relationship between the educational and the constituent-regulative spheres. We are particularly interested in contributions that raise conceptual and theoretical issues of the comparative analysis of different modes of governance of citizenship education. The section is supported by the ECPR-Standing Group Citizenship. Section Panels 1. Citizens still in School: Motivations for Political Participation Chair: Julie Ane Ødegaard, PhD candidate, Department of comparative politics, University of Bergen (Norway) Co- Chair: Trond Solhaug, Professor, University of Trondheim (Norway) Abstract: Depending on which concept of citizenship is employed, students in schools can be considered both citizens and citizens in the “making”. This panel invites paper proposals that deal with political education in schools and motivations for political participation. We particularly welcome proposals with a comparative perspective. 2. Creating Civic Learning Spaces: Citizenship Education in Unfavorable Social Environments Chair: Nina Belyaeva, Professor of National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Moscow (Russia) Abstract: It is conventional knowledge that citizenship education is best achieved "by living it", where the students are learning citizenship skills through participation in democratic practices, like community work or elections. Our panel seeks to explore the limits and opportunities of citizenship education in troubled social environments, under authoritarian political regimes and in conflict zones. We ask what role citizenship education can play in such unfavorable conditions. 3. Increasing Participation of Young People in Times of Globalization: Linking Communities and Citizenship Chair: Daniel Oross, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Political Science, Budapest (Hungary) Co-chair: Bernard Fournier, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, researcher (Belgium) Abstract: This panel proposes that whilst researching the participation of young people, the available institutional environment for young people’s participation should also be taken into account. The panel invites papers to elucidate how different institutional arenas of participation in local politics effect young people and immigrants, and how these groups get involved in new forms of political participation. 4. Pathways and Patterns of Youth Citizenship in the UK Chair: Emily Rainsford, University of Newcastle (United Kingdom) Abstract: This panel explores current developments in youth citizenship in the UK. It observes the different pathways that can encourage youth citizenship, such as educational policies or institutional changes. 5. Political Development in Adolescence: The Interplay between Agents of Socialization Chair: Joris Boonen, University of Leuven Abstract: It is well-established in political socialization literature that adolescence is the critical phase in life in which democratic norms, values and behaviours among young citizens are being developed. Also before they reach the legal voting age, adolescents develop basic opinions about politics and society that tend to stay stable over time. In this sense, the political attitudes that are being developed among the current generation of young citizens will define the future priorities in our different political arenas. Most studies on this developmental phase have been concentrating on one particular aspect of political socialization, such as the importance of family, schools, peers, media or online and offline social networks. In this panel, we particularly encourage contributions focussing on the interplay between different agents of political socialization, as well as the interaction of micro- and macro-level influences. 6. The Educational Governance of Citizenship Education: Knowledge Politics, Curricular Choices and their Effects. Chair: Andrea Szukala, University of Bielefeld/University of Münster (Germany) Abstract: Most democracies have established standardized school curricula for citizenship education. Recently, different basic educational governance models tend to converge, as more and more actors from outside the educational systems attempt to impact educational outcomes in the field of citizenship and socio-economic school education. The panel gathers contributions that help explaining these new modes of educational regulation and their effects. 7. The Impact of Institutional Measures and Changes on Youth Citizenship and Participation Chair: Frank Reichert, University of Bamberg Abstract: For the legitimacy of democratically constituted societies, it is of utmost importance to encourage citizens – and particularly young people – to participate in the political process. This panel examines the effects of institutional factors and educational efforts aimed at the development of citizenship and political participation. These factors include legislative regulations such as compulsory voting, education policies, and the implementation of specific programmes in civics and citizenship education. The presentations focus on Europe and Australia and will provide empirical evidence on institutional measures that may (or may not) successfully be employed to encourage citizenship and participation. 8. The Role of Social and Moral Conflicts in Citizenship Education Chair: Dmitry Zaytsev, Associate Professor of National Research University “Higher School of Economics”, Moscow (Russia) Abstract: This panel elaborates on the role of social and moral conflicts in citizenship education. We will critically examine established concepts of learning democracy in educational institutions, the dominant discourse on democracy and political participation, and its influence on citizenship socialization.