Building upon the success of previous years, here is the announce for the call for papers for the 11th Annual Conference on Citizenship Education.
Progress towards equal access to power, voice and representation in democracy in the West is beginning to stall. Anti-democratic and anti-feminist discourse promoted by the far-right on social media is challenging fundamental democratic principles. Politicians (in particular female and ethnic minorities) face endless online threats to their lives.
In this context, what is the role of citizenship education? Which methods are effective in raising the knowledge, skills and political efficacy to strengthen democracy and ensure all voices are heard, respected and represented? What pedagogies and practices increase the values of social justice and gender equality? How can safe and respectful spaces be created in the classroom to empower all voices to be heard? How can evidence based methods be used in policy and practice to support democratic resilience?
Conference Focus and Themes
Promoting citizenship in schools setting remains a nuanced and multifaceted endeavour. Significant systemic challenges persist in ensuring equitable civic outcomes, particularly for students from marginalised socioeconomic backgrounds. Contributions on citizenship education and young people’s citizenship are invited, particularly those that explore the two following themes:
• Gender and Intersectional Inequalities in Citizenship Education: Scholars are encouraged to examine how gender and intersectional identities (including socio-economic status) affect young people’s access to civic learning opportunities and the development of their citizenship competences. This includes analysing the social norms that dictate who can participate in classroom discussions and how these norms contribute to unequal engagement.
• Interventions to reduce inequalities in citizenship educational outcomes: We welcome research on effective teaching practices and policy interventions designed to boost political self-efficacy and engagement among marginalised groups. Contributions may focus on specific pedagogies being trialled to reduce inequalities, such as open classroom climates, small group work, the use of counter-narratives, and creative presentation formats.
Suggested Topics for Submission
While the core themes above are prioritised, contributions are welcomed on a broad range of issues related to citizenship education, including but not limited to:
• Classroom dynamics: The role of an open classroom climate and the impact of social norms on student participation.
• Citizenship competence development: How students’ citizenship competences develop over time and the role of education in fostering these skills.
• Citizenship educational access: Inequalities in access to civic learning opportunities based on gender, socio-economic status or other social privileges.
• Political participation: Examining the gender gap, intersectional gap and other systemic inequalities in political engagement and activism within and outside school context.
• Democratic challenges: Addressing the rise of anti-democratic ideologies, polarization, authoritarianism, and populism and their effects on citizenship education.
• Civic engagement trends: Increasing youth activism, contemporary forms of protest, and engagement through digital media. • Pedagogical approaches: Teaching citizenship education inside and outside of schools, including the use of counter-narratives, small group work, and creative formats.
• Early childhood education: The significance of early childhood education in forming democratic foundations. Structure Abstracts should clearly outline the topic, research questions, methods, and results.
Please make sure you provide:
• Title – A clear and concise title that reflects your research topic.
• Background/Context – A brief introduction to the research problem and its significance.
• Objective/Research Question – The main aim and/or research question of your study. • Methods – A summary of the methodology used (e.g., experimental design, data collection, observations, interview, analysis techniques).
• Results – Key findings or expected outcomes of your paper (if applicable, even preliminary results/hypotheses can be included).
• Conclusion/Implications/Limitations – The significance of the findings and their contribution to the field.
Conference details
Keynote speakers: Liz Moorse (Chief Executive Officer at Association for Citizenship Teaching) and Professor Helen Panchurst (Senior Adviser CARE International; Prof MMU; Chancellor University of Suffolk; Convenor Centenary Action; Convenor GM4Women2028) as two of our featured keynote speakers for this year’s event.
NO Fee & Funding: The conference offers fee-free attendance. Faculty of Business and Law, University of Roehampton will cover conference fees and lunch for confirmed participants. Attendees must cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.
Submission & Queries: Email Khuyen.Dinh@roehampton.ac.uk with the subject line: 11th Annual Conference on Citizenship Education
Notification of Acceptance: July 31, 2026
This will be an in-person conference only with a select number of participants. Creative presentation formats are encouraged within standard paper sessions. We look forward to your submissions and hope to see you in London!
The organizing committee
Bryony Hoskins, University of Roehampton / Bryony.Hoskins@roehampton.ac.uk
Remmert Daas, University of Amsterdam / r.j.m.daas@uva.nl
Germ Janmaat, University College London / g.janmaat@ucl.ac.uk
Lianne Hoek, University of Amsterdam / l.h.m.hoek@uva.nl
Khuyen Dinh, University of Roehampton / Khuyen.Dinh@roehampton.ac.uk
Athina Mara, University of Roehampton / Athina.Mara@roehampton.ac.uk
Kimberly Oldren, University of Roehampton / Kimberly.Olden@roehampton.ac.uk
