H.13. Is There a Role for Arts-based Education in Tackling Educational Poverty and Social Exclusion?

Serious forms of social injustice and educational poverty are becoming increasingly prevalent in Western democracies partly due to the progressive weakening of political and cultural institutions. To combat these forms of exclusion and to strengthen the relationship between democracy and citizenship, which is slowly eroded by the neo-liberal capitalist exploitation, arts-based education has been promoted by UNESCO and the European Union suggesting the introduction of new forms of open and horizontal learning especially in educational contexts. The aim is to promote cultural literacy and the development of cultural awareness to foster dialogue and inclusion of young people, especially those in multicultural contexts. However, these policy recommendations – which can appear ambiguous or functional to the neoliberal education – have been locally reinterpreted to combat social exclusion. Infact, engaging subaltern subjectivities, especially young people with a migrant background, is one of the key aims of this participatory form of education adopted by formal and informal educational institutions. Arts are indeed viewed as a means of creating open, horizontal learning environments in which young people can explore their subjectivity, share values, emotions and representations, strength cultural differences awareness and acquire suitable knowledge and competencies to effectively exercise citizenship.

The purpose of this panel is to welcome scholars working in arts-based education who have developed works with children and young people, particularly those with a migrant background. Contributions on national-level policies and practices, case studies on formal and non-formal educational contexts, as well as on arts-based education and decolonization learning processes are welcomed.