Introduction: The Emergence of New Civics

Abstract

New Civics has emerged in the last three decades in order to expand the definition and scope of ‘participation’ beyond elections and voting, to include the wide range of civic activities that contribute to effective democracy. The emphasis is on agency and responsibility, critical thinking and the skills for informal as well as formal action. The implications for both formal and informal education include going beyond knowledge of local political systems. This Special Issue brings together papers emerging from the Spencer Foundation funded Program supporting doctoral students at Harvard Graduate School of Education that address the widening scope of civic education. They draw on international as well as US data. They address the following questions: How do critiques of new civics reveal the current tensions between different narratives of justice, freedom of speech and social order? How does increasing digital affordance affect freedom of speech and ethics and what skills do students need? What are the historical controversies about the purposes of education that lie behind current debates? How might controversial issues be used in discussion to highlight culture and diversity issues? How does experience of community participation promote the skills and motives for commitment? How can innovative methods such as Youth Participatory Action Research enhance civic awareness and skills? How can this be used in art, and how has it contributed to civic education in the challenging environment of refugee contexts? The papers reflect innovative research and practice at the cutting edge of new civics education.