Iida Pyy, a DEMOPOL researcher in charge of the subproject Political emotions, is presenting the preliminary findings of her doctoral dissertation and discussing her research journey and the findings of the three interrelated articles at the 18th annual Kaleidoscope Conference, hosted by the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. This year’s conference theme is Responding to ruptures: speaking back to power, and Pyy will be presenting in a panel with a sub-theme Connecting theory and practice in times of change. Pyy’s presentation is titled: Martha Nussbaum’s political philosophy and the theory and practice of democratic citizenship education in the era of global crises.
The live paper presentation will take place online, on Friday 4 June 4.15 PM (GMT+1) or 6.15 PM Finnish time (GMT+3). For more information about the conference, visit: https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/events/conferences/kaleidoscope2021/
ABSTRACT:
Even in the midst of a devastating global pandemic, we can hear loud calls for justice across class, gender, race, and other social categories. The scale of the recent political movements, such as Black Lives Matter and Fridays for Future, illustrates that especially young people are willing to unite and to march for causes that they regard important. Young people’s political mobilisation bears significance to education and to the role of educational actors. Indeed, we are obliged to address questions such as: How can education contribute to a more constructive democratic culture? How should education address political polarization and global crises to prevent anti-democratic developments and social injustice? What type of education would be needed, and how should this type of education be taught in schools?
These are the questions my doctoral dissertation has focused on, in the form of three interrelated journal articles. In my short presentation, I summarize how I have attempted to connect theory to practice using, for instance, philosophical analysis and case study as methods. Utilising Martha Nussbaum’s political philosophy, particularly her theory of political emotions, as my point of departure, I have explored the possibility of cultivating democratic citizenship through education. Hypothesising that emotions provide the motivational force needed in order for people to commit to normative principles, such as human rights, I propose that Nussbaum’s work on political emotions could inform the theory and practice of citizenship education in our era of global crises.