Chapter 9: The Quest for a Critical Pedagogy of Democracy¹

In this chapter, I develop a conceptual and theoretical framework to advance a critical pedagogy of democracy in the hopes of developing a more meaningful democratic experience for all people. I question the salience and relevance of elections as a signpost legitimating democracy, and seek to establish an intertwined linkage between an engaged, critical and dialectical educational experience and a thicker,² more robust and socially just democracy. Critical pedagogy provides, I believe, a fundamental foundation, approach, framework and state of being that can create the conditions for a more nuanced, resilient and hopeful form of democracy.