The concept of "the political" and the normative foundations of democratic and global citizenship education

This subproject examines the alternative notions of ‘the political’ – especially antagonistic, identity-political and consensus-driven understandings of the concept – that underlie the present theoretical controversies concerning democratic and global citizenship education.

Through examining these alternative descriptions and by bringing them to dialogue, the subproject seeks to form an understanding of the concept, which incorporates the co-operative, identity-based and conflictual dimensions of political action. The aim is particularly to examine what kind of possibilities and challenges these different dimensions create for establishing common normative foundations for democratic and global citizenship education. The research in this subproject is based on philosophical research methods.

The project PI, Anniina Leiviskä is primarily responsible for the research in this subproject. See her bio and researcher profile here.