Social and Extra-Curricular Political Education
Education and upbringing are integral components of constantly changing historical and social contexts as well as power structures. The teaching and research area (LuF) "Social Inequality and Political Education" analyses the conditions of education and upbringing in their interconnectedness with social, political and economic conditions as well as the interactions between (political) education and social inequality in modern societies.
The focus is on theoretical and practice-oriented analyses and the reflection of social inequality and its influence on educational, training and living spaces. In addition, the social genesis of misanthropic ideologies such as anti-Semitism, racism and sexism is researched and made pedagogically productive in the context of socio-critical political education from a theoretical and practical perspective. The various mechanisms and structures that create and maintain social inequality are analysed and related to educational processes. The aim is to develop a comprehensive understanding of how political education serves to reproduce and maintain social inequality on the one hand, but can also contribute to overcoming it on the other.
In addition, the LuF analyses the constitution and forms of extracurricular political education, for example in adult education institutions, social movements, political youth work and the political education work of NGOs in Austria. This includes the investigation of educational practices, policies and programmes as well as research into the role of educational institutions and actors in reproducing or combating social inequality. Through an interdisciplinary perspective, various aspects such as educational equity, power structures and political participation are explored in order to contribute to a sound understanding of the complex relationship between civic education and social inequality.
