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Civic Theory and Educative Processes in Informal Spaces: A Case Study in Three Italian Realities

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The Palgrave Handbook of Citizenship and Education

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Abstract

This chapter presents a reconsideration of the formation of civic practices within public spaces, using the works of Habermas (The structural transformation of the public sphere: an inquiry into a category of bourgeois society. Polity Press, Cambridge, 1989) and Dewey (The public and its problems. Holt, New York, 1927; Experience & education. Touchstone, New York, 1997) in relation to an elaboration of a civic theory to explain civic behavior, in particular in new generations. This localizes the concept of public space within a reflection on informal educational processes, overcoming a concept that is excessively confined to urban studies. More specifically, the intent is to understand if institutional spaces, such as schools, and primary social spaces should be considered environments of socialization and civilization processes exclusively or if other relational and civic contexts where citizenship practices are experienced should also be included. It is a question of considering the mechanisms through which learning processes for social skills, like trust and civic values, are determined and whether they can be acquired through non-institutionalized pathways, where there can be a generative exchange between different places and spaces, both formal and informal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy

    Mauro Giardiello

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  1. Mauro Giardiello
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Correspondence to Mauro Giardiello .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Canterbury Christ Church University , Canterbury, UK

    Andrew Peterson

  2. School of Education, University of South Australia , Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia

    Garth Stahl

  3. School of Education, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA, Australia

    Hannah Soong

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Giardiello, M. (2019). Civic Theory and Educative Processes in Informal Spaces: A Case Study in Three Italian Realities. In: Peterson, A., Stahl, G., Soong, H. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Citizenship and Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67905-1_62-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67905-1_62-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67905-1

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