Democratic Culture Research Articles

Belief bias in individual and collective reasoning

In this paper, we investigate whether collaborative group performance is better than individual performance in solving a syllogism evaluation task. We hypothesise that collaborative group settings will outperform individual settings and that the belief bias effect will be mitigated in a group setting. Two empirical studies were conducted with Argentinian undergraduate students. Study 1 (N = 239) used a between-subjects design with two conditions: individual resolution and interactive group resolution. Overall, the group condition performed better than the individual condition, but there were no significant differences in evaluating invalid syllogisms. Study 2 (N = 115) used a within-subjects design with three conditions: individual resolution, interactive group resolution, and individual after-interactive group resolution. Overall, the group condition performed better than the individual condition, and the individual after-interactive group condition showed an increase in accurate answers compared to individual resolution. However, as observed in Study 1, the collaborative group setting did not improve the evaluation of invalid syllogisms. We propose an explanation for the group resolution of invalid believable syllogisms within the framework of the selective processing model of the belief bias. This research provides new data on the effects of collaborative settings in deductive reasoning beyond the Western Educated Industrialised Rich Democratic (WEIRD) cultures.

Implicit cultural policies in Zimbabwe: insights from Stephen Joel Chifunyise’s plays and theatre

Sometimes cultural policies are dismissed and criticized by some artists and cultural practitioners as banal and other times they are deemed pivotal in the democratization of culture, cultural democracy and the advancement of a democratic society. This ambivalent perception of arts and cultural policies results in many missed opportunities in the production and distribution of cultural and creative expressions like plays and theatre. This paper sets out to answer the question about how cultural policies shape the advancement of cultural and creative expressions in post-independence Zimbabwe. Stephen Joel Chifunyise’s plays and theatre as case examples provide insightful snippets of the role and power of cultural policies in the advancement of the cultural and creative sector and the broader society. This is achieved through a review of academic publications, policy documents and cultural policy texts. The theoretical lens partially deployed here is interpretive policy analysis, which reads the meaning of cultural policies through authored and constructed policy texts such as plays, theatre productions, theatre infrastructure, theatre festivals, publishing houses, book fairs, policy documents and public pronouncements. In addition to the interpretive policy analysis, I also deploy the concept of explicit and implicit cultural policies to comprehensively look at the role of direct cultural policies and indirect cultural policies in the theatre sector in Zimbabwe. The second lens is used to analyse the impact of Zimbabwean implicit and explicit cultural policies on the theatre sector through Chifunyise’s plays and theatre. In critically answering the central question, this paper argues that Zimbabwe has several implicit cultural policies whose effect on the theatre is felt more through constructed cultural policy texts than authored cultural policy texts, and thus, all cultural expressions are inevitably shaped by one cultural policy or the other.

El retorno del sofista: herramientas para una educación democrática en contexto de posmodernidad

Sophistry constitutes an intellectual movement, typical of the Greek democratic culture of the 5th century B.C. Among its most notable features, it is the vindication of the importance of education for public life. The text operates a counterpoint between the Platonic perspective and the sophist perspective of truth, politics, and education, and, at the same time, it postulates the possibility to rethink current education from a renewed perspective of the sophist movement.The expression "the return of the sophist" reflects the desired aspect in a Postmodern pedagogy with a democratic tone.

Digital Actors and Digital Platforms in the System of International Relations: Between Complex Interdependence and Online Sovereignty

The article analyzes deep changes in international relations that are taking place in the context of the increasing role of digital actors and platforms in shaping the global agenda. The emergence of the Internet was a turning point in the development of the entire system of global communications. The Internet changed the way information is spread and public opinion is shaped, while digital platforms became a new factor of globalization. At the same time, as the authors demonstrate, the original nature of the Internet, which was viewed by the United States and the West as an integral part and technology of the liberal order, in the end started to reflect the increasing confrontation between states, and became a space for the spread of political conflicts, stereotypes and information wars. In addition, new digital oligopolies began to shape the digital space based on their corporate interests, prioritizing their market share rather than the quality of online discussions and the strengthening of the civic democratic culture. The weaponization and securitization of the Internet is a logical continuation of the crisis of the global liberal order. The complex interdependence, which was strengthened by digital actors and digital platforms, is increasingly being replaced by the idea of digital sovereignty. States aim to decouple from a single communicative space and to create norms protecting them and their citizens from the excessive influence of the Big Tech. The authors conclude that we are experiencing the sunset of the era of information openness. Depoliticization of the Internet is impossible without reducing international tension and reviving the spirit of rationalism in world politics. Only through getting back to reason can we return to the Internet the role of a creative, rather than destructive technology.

Political polarization, legitimacy and democratic education

ABSTRACT Political polarization is often argued to be a major threat to democracy. This article examines whether the two different forms of polarization, ideological and affective, may risk some of the core assumptions of democratic legitimacy. The paper argues that ideological polarization is linked with increasingly radical ideological positions being accepted as legitimate contributions to democratic processes, which may lead to the erosion of the democratic culture of society. Affective polarization, in turn, presents a risk to the type of political collaboration that characterizes legitimate democratic processes. The article presents some remarks on how these forms of polarization could be pre-emptively addressed in education: first, by demonstrating to students the practical consequences of neglecting the core democratic principles of toleration (Forst) and reciprocity (Rawls) in society; and second, through forms of political action that engage students’ political emotions in support of democratic principles and way of life in a nonpartisan way.

Educação para uma Cidadania Democrática: da formação inicial de professores às práticas de sala de aula em Portugal

Teacher training, at Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa, has since 2020 included a curricular unit in the master's degree in Teaching in the 1st cycle and Portuguese and History and Geography of Portugal in the 2nd cycle, which aims to develop Competences for Democratic Culture (CDC). Taking as a reference the 20 CDC (Council of Europe, 2017), the training component in the field of Didactics of ​​Social Sciences (DSS) was reformulated, introducing changes in the curricular unit Society, Culture and Territory. These changes have produced visible results in supervised teaching practices (6-12 years old). This article focuses on critical reflection on the teaching and learning strategies experienced in initial training, within the scope of DSS, mobilized in the practices with students aged 6 to 12. The objectives are: (1) to recognize the effects of the strategies implemented in initial training in the field of CDC; (2) analyse the skills developed by elementary school students and reflect on the practices for the development of these skills; (3) analyse the CDC valued in students' practices and the results of their pedagogical-didactic projects. Methodologically, a documentary analysis is carried out that frames the CCD in initial teacher training and a content analysis of the twelve final master's reports (2021 to 2023), which focus on a pedagogical-didactic intervention and research on development of CDC (strategies, activities and evaluation indicators). The first result points to the recognition of the role of DSS in initial training within the scope of CDC: through content and training methodologies, SS facilitate practices aimed at building critical and democratic citizenship. Secondly, the impact of projects implemented in elementary school classes is highlighted, with the purpose of promoting CDC: evidence of the relevance in guiding future teaching practice towards training children and young people to read, interpret critically and intervene in the social reality in which they are inserted.

La formación inicial del profesorado de primaria en educación para la ciudadanía. Estudio de casos en Latinoamérica

This article identifies, analyzes and interprets what happens with citizenship education in the initial training of generalist teachers, in university programs in Latin America. The methodological strategy is the documentary analysis of the citizenship education curriculum in three academic programs in Chile, Argentina and Colombia, which train primary school teachers and who agree to participate voluntarily in the study. The results identify that the purposes and objectives of the programs for the initial training of generalist teachers focus on global citizenship. In the study plans, the contents planned for teaching the area are few and focused on theoretical concepts related to national citizenship, which do not favor the development of critical thinking or the political training of teachers, which are essential aspects to train students future teachers and transformative intellectuals (Giroux, 2006). The analysis concludes that general teachers are not being trained to educate primary school boys and girls as critical and democratic citizens. Academic programs have the challenge of proposing problematizing curricula, in which future teachers acquire the professional skills to analyze and understand the complexity and interdisciplinarity of social knowledge and, to guide the area of ​​citizenship in primary education in the construction of democratic culture and social justice.

Cultural considerations when working with Jewish students and supervisees

ABSTRACT The author examines the marginalization of Jewish identities in multicultural clinical education and supervision amid rising antisemitism in the U.S., proposing the use of cultural democracy to address these issues. He critiques the erasure of Jewish identity due to the neglect of Jewish backgrounds in key theories and inaccuracies in clinical literature. He further underscores the importance of Jewish cultural considerations, including accommodating Jewish practices such as holidays, Sabbath observance, mourning customs, and dietary laws, while advocating for flexibility and sensitivity. Finally, he addresses considerations when supervisees experience antisemitism from a person at the center of a clinical encounter.

Integrating ethics and democratic principles in chemistry education: a case study

Abstract This study presents a novel approach to integrating ethics and core values into chemistry education through the module “Culture of Democracy Through the Didactics of Chemistry.” Developed as part of a broader initiative aimed at educating future teachers for democracy and human rights, this module explores the ethical dimensions of chemical knowledge and its social and environmental impact. Utilizing the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, it introduces pre-service teachers to concepts such as responsibility, human dignity, and the rule of law. The module involved six pre-service teachers and two schoolteacher-mentors. Key activities included student-led discussions, such as exploring personal responsibility and moral dilemmas in chemistry, exemplified by the Heinz dilemma, and engaging in discourse on the possibility of breaking a law for morally justifiable reasons to comprehend the delicate balance between legal duties and moral responsibilities. Through reflective exercises and collaborative learning, pre-service teachers engage critically with the ethical implications of their future profession. Initial feedback highlights the value of integrating ethical discussions into chemistry education, fostering deeper reflection and a sense of responsibility among pre-service teachers. The study provides a valuable framework for educators integrating ethics into science curricula, fostering responsible chemistry practice aligned with social values.

The ‘death’ and ‘rebirth’ of museums in colonial Hong Kong: three decades of community endeavours to restore reputation and culture, 1933–1962

ABSTRACT For nearly three decades, from 1933 to 1962, Hong Kong was deprived of a proper museum. This article explores the prolonged absence of public museum services in the colony and their arduous restoration. It investigates the reasons behind this extended hiatus and scrutinises the efforts made by the Hong Kong colonial government and the local community to reintroduce public museum services. The article argues that the resurgence of museums in Hong Kong was primarily propelled by community initiatives. While the colonial administration displayed indifference towards museum provision, Hong Kong's civil society considered it essential for enhancing the colony's reputation and cultural landscape. Through a public campaign for cultural democratisation, they compelled the government to establish a new museum. Their lobbying and preparatory efforts showcased the significant determination and agency of the local community in shaping the cultural outlook of the colony despite their limited political representation.

Democratic deficit and underdevelopment in Nigeria: a qualitative study of the 2023 Presidential Elections

Discontentment with democracy in West Africa centres on abuse of power and political corruption. In Nigeria, dissatisfaction lies not just with these but also with insecurity, economic recession and the electoral process – a system fraught with complications, controversies and contradictions. Using the political economy of elections as its theoretical framework together with mixed research methods, this paper interrogates the relationship between Nigeria’s democratic culture and the 2023 presidential elections. Here I present a politicised electoral management institution, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Its performance is shaped, not by legislative instruments and constitutional guidelines, but by a dysfunctional democratic culture that reflects the extent to which ethnicised politics, class, institutionalised loyalty and money politics determine election results and Nigeria’s version of democracy. Although fragile and prebendal, democracy continues to consolidate amidst delayed development. The paper recommends increased media advocacy for reform.

INTERROGATING THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PARADIGM: A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Community participation in governance processes has been viewed as enhancing a democratic culture within concerned communities by making participants part of the problem-solving mechanism. Proponents of community participation espouse divergent views but concur that positive attributes are realised. In South Africa the post-1994 democratic dispensation has created an enabling environment for community participation at different levels of government. This has been necessitated in part to the participatory approach the communities undertook to dislodge the apartheid regime. In South Africa, through appropriate constitutional provisions, communities have been empowered to have a stake in the running of their own affairs through elected councillors and municipal officials. With community participation, people have felt to be part of a solution to problems in their communities and this has helped to eliminate poverty through the engagement of private sector to provide services which cannot be efficiently delivered by government. Lack of interest in municipal affairs has also resulted in non-participation by some communities.

Fostering primary students’ competences for democratic culture in EFL

Abstract The PEACE project was a teaching unit which was designed, implemented and evaluated in two primary school classes in Japan and Germany respectively. The project was carried out in an asynchronous virtual exchange format between the two classes. The Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture was used as a basis for the teaching unit, with the framework’s descriptors for young learners serving as tools for designing and assessing both the teaching unit and its outcomes in the form of the participating students’ products and utterances. Using the NVivo coding software for content analysis, the study investigated the deployment of the various areas of competence by the students during the teaching unit and compared these across the classes. This was done to gain insights into both the context-dependency of the deployment of competences for democratic culture as well as the practicability and potentials of carrying out a bilateral asynchronous virtual exchange aiming to promote competences for democratic culture in young learners.

New management approaches and sustainability: the case of the Museo del Traje in Madrid

ABSTRACT Times have changed and museums are adapting to it. Their traditional functions have evolved, and the sustainability of these institutions is becoming increasingly important. Therefore, museums are facing a paradigm shift: from heritage-focused to society, especially their audiences. These institutions must now foster and develop social and economic approaches to adapt to this new situation. Cultural democracy and audience development are emerging as an effective approach and management tool in this adaptation process. This research focuses on the case of the Museo del Traje of Madrid [Costume Museum] in Madrid. Through the study of the Museum's website on its activity and in-depth interviews, this article gathers the information analysed to highlight the effort made by this museum in terms of sustainability through its face-to-face activities. The conclusions reveal that despite the efforts made by the museum in its adaptation process, a new management approach is needed to enhance this work. In this way, by improving its management, the Museo del Traje can become a replicable model of a museum that works to promote sustainability.

Artistas-Educadores-Gestores: a atuação do licenciado em artes na gestão de equipamentos culturais

This study approaches cultural management from the perspective of arts teaching graduates, considering the impact of teacher training on the development of artistic, socio-cultural, mediating, and community articulation actions. Methodological procedures were used, such as interviews, contextual approach experiences, and bibliographical analyses. The author’s personal reports on her experiences as an artist-educator-manager were also included, intertwining reflections on the notions of body, territory, citizenship and cultural democracy, which intersect the training of arts teaching graduates and the practice of cultural managers. The conclusion of this study emphasizes the potential of this professional, who creatively aligns artistic, educational, and administrative processes for a mediated and territorialized cultural management.

Distribution of Lithuanian publications by J. Zavadzkis firm 1805-1864

J. Zavadzkis' firm—one of the largest printing, publishing, and distributing firms in Lithuania—was the most important enterprise in the publishing and trade of Lithuanian books in the 19th century. The extent of the Zavadzkis family's trade in Lithuanian books directly depended on the publishing activity of the firm. The passive publication of Lithuanian books in the period of 1805-1852 resulted in a minimal extent of Lithuanian books sold. It didn't reach 1% of book sales during the period described. The trade of Lithuanian books became very active in 1853-1864, during the years of intensive publishing of Lithuanian books, when one-third of all books printed at that time appeared from the firm. In addition to the bookshop in Vilnius, which had been in operation since 1805, a bookshop in Varniai was established in 1853. The bookshop in Varniai, being located in the center of Lithuanian democratic culture and the most Lithuanian and literate part of Lithuania, became a very important center for the distribution of Lithuanian books. The extent of trade at the bookshop in Varniai was larger than that in Vilnius. In 1853-1864, the bookshop in Vilnius sold about 16,000 copies of Lithuanian books, while 280,000 copies were sent to Varniai. There were 45 titles of books published by the Zavadzkis family. There were also publications by L. Ivinskis, S. Daukantas, M. Valančius, and M. Akelaitis. The number of Lithuanian book titles compared with titles in other languages was very small in both the Vilnius and Varniai bookshops due to second editions or large print runs. Customers acquired books in different ways; trade "by counter" was not very popular. Small traders engaged in commission trade often resold books to the main customers, who were peasants. Book sales particularly thrived at annual fairs in various towns and small towns across Lithuania. The fairs in Šiluva and Kalvarijos were particularly famous, and special shipments from the Vilnius bookshop were arranged for them. Other customers, such as office employees, doctors, teachers, chemists, and clergy from different regions, often subscribed to books and received them by mail. The customers of the bookshops were spread throughout Žemaičių and Vilnius dioceses. J. Zavadzkis' firm used book advertisements by making bibliographical lists of books and printing them on book covers or in separate publications. In 1858, the first trade bibliographical publication appeared in Greater Lithuania.

Membangun Karakter Bangsa Melalui Pendidikan Pancasila Universitas PGRI Adi Buana Surabaya

Pancasila education in Indonesia is claimed to be the main foundation for the formation of national character. This education aims to teach basic values which include diversity, justice, unity, democracy and humanity, which are the foundation for the characteristics and morality of the Indonesian nation.This article reviews the importance of Pancasila education in forming national character values. Students are taught to respect differences of opinion, respect human rights, and practice democratic principles in everyday life. This all aims to create citizens who are fair, just and have a democratic culture. Apart from that, Pancasila education also develops a sense of love for the country and humanism. Through this education, students are taught to appreciate Indonesia's cultural and natural riches, and have the enlightenment to contribute to preserving the environment and overcoming social problems among the people.This, Pancasila education is not only about theoretical knowledge, but also about the practice of values in everyday life.

Uncovering the uncoverers: identity, performativity and representation in counter-disinformation discourse

ABSTRACT Treating counter-disinformation activities as a discursive practice producing knowledge in specific cultural and historical contexts, this article brings a vital cultural studies perspective to an incipient Critical Disinformation Studies agenda. At the same time, it cautions against inadvertently aligning that agenda with the ‘bad faith’, right-wing populist critique of counter-disinformation practices, acknowledging their genuine potential to enhance democratic culture. It proceeds by interrogating the communicative strategies informing the proliferating Western counter-disinformation initiatives which have mushroomed in response to what is widely perceived to be one of democracy’s most potent threats, and which border on a ‘moral panic’ serving to conceal key ideological tensions. Grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis methods, a close reading of mission statements and related materials from the websites of four leading counter-disinformation units demonstrates how these texts interweave three functions – identity construction, performativity, and representation – to generate the overarching ‘discursive formation’ or ‘articulation’ constituting counter-disinformation as modern liberal democracy’s core, but also exposing its fault lines. Specifically, it shows that a failure to reconcile competing accounts of truth (as scientific rationality and normative value) indexes deeper contradictions pitting the liberal emphasis on individual freedom and capitalist efficiency against the democratic prioritizing of popular power, dispassionate observation against civic participation, and the promotion of transparency against the creeping power of surveillance. It concludes that the absolutist epistemology – a vestige of disinformation’s Cold War conceptual origins – designed to cover over these paradoxes masks the complex roles played by truth and deception in politics, thereby hindering the emergence of alternative, oppositional forms of knowledge capable of embracing truth in its radical contingency and plurality and facilitating democratic renewal.

The implications of critical theory for adult education policy

The German tradition of critical theory (often called the Frankfurt School), represented by such authors as Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Oskar Negt, have given crucial contributions to social and cultural theory in investigating and conceptualizing contradictory conditions of modern Western societies. This paper will discuss the ways in which these critical theorists have approached adult learning and education. Important elements are the role of adult learning in confronting the past and the present of Western societies (Adorno, Horkheimer) and the potential of experience-based learning in supporting open and democratic cultures and communities (Negt). Except for Negt, adult education was a minor topic for these critical theory scholars. Nevertheless, their contributions include important comments on and implications for adult education policy, including questions such as the responsibility of states for education, the democratic character of educational institutions, and the relationship between skills for work and for civil life. Critical theory holds important insights in the societal embedding of adult education and consequences for the objectives. These insights can guide (and have guided) critical research in adult education policy, but they need to be combined with policy analysis concepts and systematic empirical work.

Monument Contestation And The Interminable Negotiation Of Democratic Public Space

Controversies about public monuments or even iconoclastic interventions inflame passions and divide the minds: What for some is a long overdue purging of democratic public space of unworthy “heroes” or oppressive symbols, others condemn as vandalism and an attack on the cultural/political foundations of the polity. Such controversies, as they have arisen in recent years, especially in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, invite us to reflect on fundamental questions about democratic politics and democratic ways of life. If, in democracies, negotiations about who and what is to be publicly remembered (in veneration) are ultimately interminable because the demos is constantly in flux and with each generation novel ways of looking at history emerge, in what ways should these negotiations be conducted? From a philosophical point of view, it is less a matter of answering these questions unambiguously than of drawing inspiration from them for democratic self-understandings and a democratic culture of conflict.