Confronting Inequalities! The Role of Citizenship Education

24 – 27 October 2019, Glasgow

Set against the ongoing Brexit drama, NECE 2019 looks at the growing rifts and inequalities in Europe and its neighbouring regions that are at the heart of the political crises in many democracies. NECE 2019 will discuss how the manifold forms and faces of inequality – class, income, gender, race, ethnic origin, talent and geography – are affecting the rights of citizenship in our societies, in other words inclusion and exclusion in society, participation or non-participation in politics, and last but not least individual opportunities in life. Our aim is to explore the socio-economic, political, educational and cultural dimensions of inequalities and their impact on approaches and practices of citizenship education in schools and in civil society. One fundamental question will be how citizenship education as a profession can learn to deal with the effects that inequality and poverty have on the lives of young people and citizens living on the margins of society.
We also propose to start a conversation on how we as citizenship educators can better deal with the economic and financial mechanisms affecting us as citizens and shaping our lives. How can we develop some basic economic literacy and knowledge for the curricula and formats of citizenship education? ‘It is the economy, stupid’ was the slogan of the 1990s, should we today rather speak of “the stupid economy’?
Last but not least, as the effects of climate change and global warming have been triggering deep societal concerns and new citizens’ movements – such as the transnational “Fridays for Future” school strikes – NECE 2019 will look at the ever more important global dimension of inequality. We will ask how approaches to globalise citizenship education may play a bigger role in the future.

Confirmed speakers include Scottish author Darren McGarvey (journalist, rapper and social commentator), Robert Rogerson (University of Strathclyde, Institute for Future cities), Bryony Hoskins (University of Roehampton, London), Michalis Kakos (Leeds Beckett University) and others.

NECE is open for citizenship educators, activists and students from all over Europe and North Africa as well as for the public of Glasgow, educators and civil society organisations. Conference participation is free of charge.

Glasgow will be an ideal city to host a conference on inequalities and citizenship education. With its heritage of industrialisation, post-industrial decline and social movements it provides an opportunity to learn about the still existing evidence of extreme inequalities and poverty in the city. At the same time, a vibrant and active civil, tech and cultural scene is waiting for us to be explored.

The conference venue Technology & Innovation Centre is a facility of the University of Strathclyde, working at the interface between research, innovation and technology development in the very city centre of Glasgow – offers the ideal space and atmosphere for the special format of NECE with its networking opportunities and open spaces, a huge variety of workshops and a diverse crowd of educators and activists from more than 40 countries.