Democracy Needs Education: Civic Learning Across Global Contexts in Troubling Times

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium brings together scholars from diverse global contexts to explore how civic education is being reimagined in response to democratic backsliding, polarization, and political instability. Drawing on comparative, empirical case studies from countries including Singapore, the Philippines, the US, and Türkiye, the session examines how educators resist dominant narratives, navigate institutional constraints, and cultivate democratic practices in schools and communities. By situating these studies within a broader global conversation, the symposium contributes to rethinking civic education as a practice of historical reckoning and future-making. The session aligns with AERA’s 2026 theme by foregrounding both the enduring legacies of civic education and the imaginative possibilities for its renewal across national and cultural boundaries.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Democratic Citizenship in Education

Chair

• Erin A. Bronstein, University of Michigan - Dearborn

Papers

• A Decolonial Analysis of Curriculum Intentions for Global Citizenship Education in two Asian Societies - Theresa Alviar Martin, Kennesaw State University; Mark C. Baildon, Indiana University

• Segregated Civics: Documenting and Disrupting Segregated Educational Experiences and Political Understandings in a ‘Red’ State” - dinorah sanchez loza, The Ohio State University

• Nurturing Democracy from the Ground Up: Civic Education in Türkiye Amidst Democratic Backsliding - Betul Demiray Sandiraz, Michigan State University; Anne-Lise F. Halvorsen, Michigan State University

Session Organizer

• Aviv Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Discussant

• Aviv Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem