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Nordic Education in a Democratically A CONFERENCE REPORT NORDIC EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRATICALLY TROUBLESOME TIME THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES 2 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY Title: NORDIC EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRATICALLY TROUBLESOME TIME Threats and Opportunities Co-arrangement by the Swedish Ministry of Education and Research, the Nordic Ministers of Education and Örebro University 2018-10-30 – 31 Editor: Erik Amnå Year: 2019 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY 3 4 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY CONTENT Nordic Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time Threats and Opportunities ...................................................................................................6 Welcoming address by Mr. Gustav Fridolin, The Swedish Minister of Education and Research ...................................8 KEYNOTE SPEECHES The National Strategy for a Strong Democracy Dr Daniel Wohlgemuth, Special Advisor at the Division for Democracy and Civil Society at the MInstry of Culture (A student's summary). ................................................ 13 The Democratic Value of Being in School Dr. Jennifer Fitzgerald, Associated Professor in Political Science at Colorado University (Boulder) ............................................................................................. 14 What Can Schools Really Do? Dr. Bryony Hoskins, Professor in Comparative Education at Roehampton University (A student's summary) ..................................................................... 17 The Nordic School in a Lighthouse Role: A Global Glance at Comparative Strengths, Challenging Tendencies, and Future Assessments Mr Ralph Carstens, Co-Head of the International Studies Unit at IEA Hamburg and Dr Barbara Malak, The project advisory committee of IEA Civic Education Studies (A student's summary) ....................................................................................................... 19 SEMINARS Educating for Civic Knowledge: Understanding, Maintaining, and Improving the Relative Strength of Nordic Schools ............................................................................... 21 Politicized Religion and Citizenship Education in the Secular State ......................................... 26 How Politics Shape Education: Actions, Reforms, and Rhetoric in the Nordic History of Citizenship Education ...............................................................................33 Confronting Racism, Conspiracy Theories, and (Un)Civil Engagement Online: Challenges for Critical Media and Information Literacy .......................................................... 37 Prevention of Violent Extremism and the Role of Schools ....................................................... 41 How to Counteract Racism in Education: From Structural Perspectives to Individual-Level Attempts ..................................................................................................43 Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture ...............................................46 How to Use Education to Foster a Civic Culture and Cultivate Democratic Habits: Limits and Potentials .........................................................................................................48 Fostering Tolerance and Social Trust, and Preventing Value Conflicts among Young Persons: How does School Context Play a Role? ..........................................................55 Governing and Professionalism: Challenges and Opportunities for Policy Makers, Researchers, and Practitioners in Education ................................................... 61 Presentation of the Journal Utbildning & Demokrati (Education & democracy) ...................................................................................................65 Closing Roundtable Discussions .........................................................................................66 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY 5 NORDIC EDUCATION IN A DEMOCRATICALLY TROUBLESOME TIME THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES Co-arrangement by the Swedish Ministry of Education and Research, the Nordic Ministers of Education and Örebro University 2018-10-30 – 31 The key note speakers Jennifer Fitzgerald and Bryony Hoskins (to the left) together with seminar leader Cecilia Arensmeier and the conference coordinator Erik Amnå at Örebro University. 6 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY BACKGROUND AND AIM for the DIS-network is to promote a Nordic consensus There is a current growth of various threats that seem to on education for a resilient democracy in a democratically jeopardize the future of the Nordic democracies. In par- troublesome time. ticular populism, extremism, racism, hate speech, fake news and increasing inequalities challenge the stability CONTRIBUTORS of the Nordic countries. A group of researchers at Örebro University, coordina- ted by Professor Erik Amnå, were invited to organize In the Nordic democracies the schools traditionally have seminars around relevant topics in their fields. Together been assigned a specific socializing role. By developing they recruited colleagues from several academic fields democratic competence in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and actors engaged into policy development at various skills and behaviour schools have the responsibility governmental levels preferably in the Nordic countries to equip young people for a future as active citizens. were asked to present their ideas and findings. However, today there is a wide and growing concern that schools are not sufficently succesful in this respect. PARTICIPANTS About two hundred politicians, teachers, students, With this background, the Government Office of Sweden policy makers and researchers from mainly the Nordic and the Ministry of Education and Research assigned the countries attended the conference. Örebro University the task of realizing a the conference to inspire both knowledge and practice based reflections on: THIS REPORT With this report we want to give the non-attendees a brief • in what ways the Nordic democracies are under real overview of the thematical topics in research and policy challenges and threats development that were addressed in various keynotes and • in what respects the Nordic schools succeed in seminar presentations. It is partly based on the keynote performing a powerful civic education lecturers and the seminar leaders´ own summaries. • how schools are developing their practices in order to But some of the summaries are based upon summaries improve their democratic function written by the students Anna Helander and Benjamin • how national policy makers are handling the Settergren, Bachelors of Arts in political science. current demands to streamline the democratic work of the schools This report does not give full coverage of or justice to • if there exists a common Nordic way in civic education everything that happened during the conference but aims at worthy of care and improvement through education, giving a brief overview of the major topics. We hope that teacher training, policy development and research. this report will give the reader informative, interesting and inspiring thoughts and ideas. In addition, the keynote DIS-NETWORK lecturers as well as some of the seminars were video The decision to organize a conference on this topics recorded and are available at: were made within the DIS-network. Within the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers as a result of the Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time 20181030 https://api.kaltura.nordu.net/tiny/0wjeg Paris Declaration (2015) on Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non- Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time 20181031 Part 1 https://api.kaltura.nordu.net/tiny/p1jdb discrimination through education. DIS stands for Democracy, Inclusion and Security. Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time 20181031 Part 2 https://api.kaltura.nordu.net/tiny/2wqeb The network gathers policymakers from all Nordic countries. DIS promotes exchange and cooperation on Erik Amnå Hugo Wester Professor in political science The Swedish Ministry of Education topics like the role of education in counteracting violent Örebro University and Research, Chair DIS-network extremism through education for democracy. The aim Swedish Presidency 2018 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY 7 8 ÖREBRO UNIVERSITY Foto: Fredrik Hjerling WELCOMING ADDRESS BY MR. GUSTAV FRIDOLIN, THE SWEDISH MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH Distinguished participants, dear friends. I am glad to welcome you all to Sweden and Örebro University. The Swedish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2018 has the aim to contribute to the forming of an inclusive, sustainable, innovative, safe, and open Nordic Region. Today we focus on education and how we can strengthen it in a democratically uncertain time. Three years ago, the school Kronan in the Swedish city Let me give you one more example. In the last couple of Trollhättan was hit by a horrific attack. A young man, years, we have seen a small but growing neo-Nazi radicalized by racist thoughts and ideas, took the life of movement in Sweden, part of it centered in the region three innocent citizens. His targets were pupils on their of Dalarna. Adult men go to the local schools and try way to class, teachers on their mission – chosen merely to recruit teenagers to their hate. They purposely target by their origin. young people who they know are more susceptible to their ideas and more easily persuaded. Their message is The very heart of our society was struck. And attacks of one of racial discrimination and the supremacy of one this kind, fueled by different kind of extremism, has hit part of
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