Citizenship Education in Times of Social Turbulence: Education for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dear Colleagues,

The international context is mostly affected by global crises that deeply transform social structures. Climate change, growing social inequalities, regional armed conflicts, intense migration flows or reductions in democratic quality impact in all societies, raising some important questions about the meaning and role of education today.

SDG Goal 4 advocates for inclusive, equitable and high-quality education and promotes access to lifelong learning opportunities for all. Moreover, sub-goal 4.7 demands that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, via education on sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and an appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development. This prompts several questions: How can this goal be achieved in the context of social turbulence? What does education for citizenship mean today? How can we promote the democratic construction of our societies through education in contexts of growing authoritarianism and polarization? What are the key issues moving forward?

There is an international consensus with regard to identifying diversity, equity and diversity as the three educational pillars of our current societies: diversity as a tangible reality that must be recognized in any educational setting; equity as a guiding principle to eliminate inequalities associated with this diversity; and inclusion as a framework of values and culture necessary for equity measures to be effective. The attainment of these values must occur within a complex and heterogeneous framework of educational projects: formal, non-formal and informal.

In this Special Issue, we aim to publish articles that communicate scientific results of empirical research to answer these questions. We invite the international community of social science researchers to contribute their knowledge to this Special Issue and enrich the international debate surrounding these issues. Contributions on citizenship education, inclusive education, equity in education, diversity management, the sociology of education, training in democratic values, community education, educating cities, education to vulnerable groups, education for peace and conflict resolution, service learning, education for social justice, child and youth participation, and intercultural education are particularly welcome. Papers should come in the format of an article, conceptual paper or review and address the topic of this Special Issue.

Best wishes,

Dr. Miquel Angel Essomba Gelabert
Dr. Anna Tarrés Vallespí
Dr. Gerardo Muñoz
Guest Editors

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