That education should foster democratic citizenship has a long and broad history. But what do various theorists have in mind when they argue for “democracy” and “citizenship”? How might we assess whether students have been successfully educated (or socialized) as democratic citizens? Also, how do democratic processes and democratic deliberations and disagreements enter and affect educational contexts?

This research cluster seeks to foster conversations between myriad scholars that focus on what citizenship education or political education should be; while acknowledging that different conceptions of democracy and citizenship suggest different approaches to political education or socialization. The cluster welcomes paradigmatic diversity and does not seek consensus. It seeks to interrogate the very assumptions that underpin the concepts of citizenship, democracy and the political in education.