Inclusive Citizenship Education - A Transnational Investigation

Societies characterized by growing diversity face the challenge of exclusion of marginalized social groups when it comes to social and political participation (cf. e.g. Amin 2019). In terms of that, growing anti-democratic tendencies and economic inequality are evident in European countries and internationally. The research project “Inclusive Citizenship Education – A Transnational Investigation'' conducted by the Democracy Centre Vienna, the Leibniz University of Hannover and the University of Sydney shows the deficient societal treatment of marginalized groups in form of absent inclusive strategies in institution of learning in Australia, Austria and Germany (cf. Demokratiezentrum 2022). The study states Inclusive Citizenship Education (ICE) as a transdisciplinary method to address the current issue of exclusion of marginalized groups because of their migration biography, refugee background, socio economic background or gender from the education system on a global and international comparative scale. Inclusive Citizenship Education is an innovative perspective for science as well as for practical civic education contributing to the expand of civic rights and participation by concerning participation of those affected by exclusion (cf. Kleinschmidt/Lange 2016). In means of that, the discourse of inclusion is dealt with. Moreover, the model addresses the tension between the two dimensions of meaning of the term citizenship, citizenship as status and citizenship as an act (cf. Isin 2008), by examining existing mechanisms of exclusion and potentials of civil society participation (cf. Kleinschmidt/Lange 2019). Overall, ICE aims to empower people, university students and future teachers to analyse and critically assess power and inequality relations and to develop strategies for action in order to challenge these social relations. Based on the results of the study mentioned above, we aim to present the main findings on the challenges of dealing with exclusion in education systems. Furthermore, Inclusive Citizenship Education (ICE) will be presented as a transdisciplinary model that meets the corresponding societal challenges by promoting processes of participation and enhancing democracy in the higher education system as well as in schools.