Civic Education and Liberal Democracy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 1-34

3. Civic Education and Liberal Democracy

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 35-70

4. Cultural Pluralism and Social Cohesion

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 71-100

5. Cosmopolitanism, Parochialism, and Interculturality

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 101-131

6. Tolerance and Neutrality in Civic and Religious Education

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 133-159

7. Educating Europeans for the Good Life

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 161-196

8. Revisiting Civic Education and Liberal Democracy

   • Peter Strandbrink

   Pages 197-207

9. Back Matter

   Pages 209-232

   PDF

This book explores the inherent tension in civic education. There is a surging belief in contemporary European society that liberal democracy should work harder to reproduce the civic and normative setups of national populations through public education. The cardinal notion is that education remains the best means to accomplish this end, and educational regimes appropriate tools to make the young more tolerant, civic, democratic, communal, cosmopolitan, and prone to engaged activism. This book is concerned with the ambiguities that strain standard visions of civic education and educational statehood. On the one hand, civic-normative education is expected to drive tolerance in the face of conflicting good-life affirmations and accelerating worldview pluralisation; on the other hand, nation-states are primarily interested in reproducing the normative prerogatives that prevail in restricted cultural environments. This means that civic education unfolds on two irreconcilable planes at once: one cosmopolitan/tolerant, another parochial/intolerant. The book will be of significant interest to students and scholars of education, sociology, normative statehood, democracy, and liberal political culture, particularly those working in the areas of civic education; as well as education policy-makers.

• Citizenship
• Social Cohesion
• Cultural Pluralism
• Religious Education
• Tolerance
• Borders
• Political State
• democracy

“This book … aims to approach the question of civic education from a broad perspective, combining empirical studies with conceptual and normative analysis, is greatly to be welcomed. … the book approaches the issues from a European perspective, and, moreover, includes the results of research from an empirical study of northern and eastern rather than the more-studied western European countries.” (Iseult Honohan, Constellations, vol. 25 (2), June, 2018)



“Strandbrink (Södertörn Univ., Sweden) questions the viability of the liberal democratic model of civic education. … This book is appropriate for upper-division undergraduates, grad students, faculty, and perhaps some practitioners. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.” (E. R. Gill, Choice, Vol. 55 (10), June, 2018) “Goes to the heart of a long standing debate between those who understand the role of education as transmitting civic norms and values, and those who understand the everydayness of social and historical life as far more complex and multi layered than what can be represented by a single unified conception of liberal democracy…deeply challenging, thought provoking and important.” (Carl Anders Säfström, Professor of Education, Södertörn University, Sweden)

“Although Strandbrink will make many liberals feel distinctly uncomfortable, his book raises important questions for education in liberal democracies and what should be taught in our schools… timely and significant.” (Mark Pike, Professor of Education, University of Leeds, UK)

• School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University, Huddinge, Sweden

  Peter Strandbrink

Peter Strandbrink is Associate Professor in Political Science at Södertörn University, Sweden. His work has been published in Religion, State & Society, Citizenship, Education & Social Justice, Tidskrift för Politisk Filosofi, and in the co-edited research volume Crosses & Crossings: Borders, Educations and Religions in Northern Europe.

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