Dilemma over the issue of inequality: A strategy against political apathy (Politikverdrossenheit)

Abstract

Politics is inseparable from conflict. But we often have the idea that the political process has to simply “solve” conflicts and in so doing make the conflict disappear. And because the politicians are not able to do this and instead simply continue arguing, we get the impression that we have incompetent politicians, whom we cannot trust. This is not new: in political education, it is important to see the aims and identify the meaning of conflicts. This allows us to have a constructive debate about the conflicts themselves. It is important to analyze conflicts as well as to develop the competence to deal with political controversies and conflicts constructively. This presentation will broach the issue of inequality without dramatizing it. Inequality can indeed threaten a democratic society, but for a free democratic society, inequality has to also be constitutive. The central thesis is that reflection on dilemmas stemming from inequality could be a strategy against political apathy and can help reinforce a sense of solidarity and cohesion in our society. This will be shown using an instrument borrowed from the psychology of communication, the “quadrate of value and development,” whose potentials for political education are currently being exploited for various projects.

Democracia E Emancipação Na Formação De Professores: Uma Análise De Conteúdo Somativa Da Atribuição Democrática De Formadores De Professores Expressa Em Políticas Para Formação De Professores Na Suécia E Na Irlanda De 2000 a 2010

“…A noção de dilema sobre a questão de desigualdade e de luta discursiva na educação é capturada por Schnebel (2016). Não só permite o ensino sobre democracia e emancipação quando a democracia é pressuposta (democracia "fina"), como o ensino sobre democracia e emancipação (ZYNGIER, 2016) em uma compreensão expansiva de democracia "grossa" (BIESTA, 2010;BINGHAM ET AL., 2010;DEWEY, 1959DEWEY, [1916FREIRE, 1972).…”

Democracy and emancipation in teacher education: A summative content analysis of teacher educators’ democratic assignment expressed in policies for Teacher Education in Sweden and Ireland between 2000-2010

“…In this way of reasoning, emancipation takes shape in discursive spaces between the existing social order and the possibility for interruption of that social order and involves a dynamic interplay, a dialectical and discursive struggle between order and interruption expressed "in a language in which it can be recognized as something valuable for society" and, at the same time is "seen as something that is simply destructive" (Säfström, 2010: 607). The notion of dilemma over the issue of inequality and discursive struggle in education is captured by Schnebel (2016). It allows not only teaching about democracy and emancipation where democracy is assumed ('thin' democracy) but also teaching for democracy and emancipation (Zyngier, 2016) within an expansive understanding of "thick" democracy (Biesta, 2010;Bingham et al, 2010;Dewey, 1959Dewey, [1916; Freire, 1972).…”