‘Community’ and ‘Democratic Practice’ in Early Childhood Education and Care: A Critique and Possibility through the Optic of Roberto Esposito

Abstract

‘Community’ is a pervasive concept around the globe in early childhood education and care that remains mostly unchallenged. The notion of ‘community’ is widely utilised in theories and practices to describe the context and the social world of young children and their carers and educators. It is also a familiar term used in relation to curriculum and pedagogical frameworks and practices. Another concept that appears increasingly in the literature and in practical considerations is the possibility for early childhood settings to be places of ‘democratic practice’. Democratic practice is hoped to prevent autocracy, to ensure pluralism and cater for diversity, and to enable collaborative knowledge production. However, community and ‘democratic practice’ are not without contention. This article considers the nexus and the contention between concepts of ‘community’ and ‘democratic practice’. With Roberto Esposito's notion of communitas, it offers a possible theorisation of community that enables community to serve as a backdrop to ‘democratic political practice’ in early childhood education and care.