B.12. Reimagining Democracy in Schools: Pedagogical and Organisational Pathways to Participatory Renewal

In today’s post-democratic condition, democratic institutions formally persist while meaningful participation is hollowed out—undermined by political disillusionment, inequalities, elite dominance. Schools mirror this erosion: student representation bodies often prove ineffective or symbolic; democratic routines are fragmented; dialogic and participatory practices remain marginal within transmissive, performance-oriented cultures of schooling.

At the same time, young people struggle to find spaces for socio-political engagement, even as global crises—war, climate collapse, social injustices—rekindle collective mobilization and a renewed desire for public voice. How does the school accompany or inhibit this democratic reawakening? Can it become a site of democratic renewal, and under what pedagogical, organisational and relational conditions—internally and in relation to the wider community?

In line with European frameworks (Council of Europe, 2016), the panel invites contributions examining how schooling can counter post-democratic dynamics drawing on insights from democratic education (e.g., Dewey) and contemporary analyses (Fielding, 2012). Particular attention is given to pedagogical and participatory innovation—including participatory research pathways, joint student–teacher committees, participatory budgeting, and co-decision processes—that position students as epistemic agents and legitimate stakeholders in school governance (Cook-Sather, 2020; Zambeta et al., 2019). These approaches resonate with the conference’s dual lens: Learning for Democracy, centred on democratic competences, and Democracy for Learning, which treats democracy as an organising principle of educational environments.

We welcome empirical research proposals that analyse what hollows out participation in schools, the constraints that limit innovation, and the possibilities for reconfiguring schools as living democratic spaces—capable of accompanying students in the everyday practice of citizenship.