The council of Europe’s competences for democratic culture: Employing Badiou and Plato to move beyond tensions in the values it promotes

Abstract

Designing education policy, curriculum and competences which promote and nourish the values and/or morals believed to underpin democratic culture is both contentious and something which has occupied philosophers, policy-makers and educators from Ancient Greece to present. This task has become even more challenging as people and ideas have become more mobile and voting rights have been extended to include a more diverse citizenry. With the rise of populism, ‘Brexit’ and the far right, determining what constitutes education for democratic culture and the values which underpin it would seem to be more prescient than ever. This article considers how the Council of Europe (CoE) is addressing the question of what education for democratic culture is and the values that underpin it through its’ recently unveiled framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC). As a unique step, it explicitly identifies values it deems to be necessary for democratic cultural competence, including the oft-conflicting values of cultural diversity and human rights. While potentially useful and timely, I argue that the framework is vulnerable to misuse and instrumentalization. I explore how Badiou's philosophy and his interpretation of Plato might help educators move beyond these challenges when presented with the framework.