A poster presentation by ECML expert Catherine Carré-Karlinger at the international conference “Articulations of Democracy Education” highlighted the Centre’s role and its vast pool of resources promoting innovative language education for a culture of democracy. The conference took place on 15 and 16 May 2025 in Vienna and was organised by the University of Vienna.  

The aim of the conference was to scrutinise the relationship between language, democracy and education from an interdisciplinary perspective. Conceptual issues were analysed in a series of stimulating presentations. Current research findings were presented on panels and in workshops and pedagogical scenarios for promoting a culture of democracy through language and political education were discussed.

Democracy needs to be learnt, shaped and cultivated: it is a central pedagogical task. Consequently, schools play a key role as an institutionalised place of learning where individual life plans and social requirements are to be harmonised. Schools have the potential to enable all children and young people to experience democracy as a way of life at close quarters. This in turn requires the consistent professionalisation of all educational staff. The importance of an interdisciplinary approach between language and political education in our multilingual society was emphasised several times at the conference. In this respect, the ECML is proving to be an important point of reference.

Find out more at: 
https://www.ecml.at/en/ECML-Programme/Poster-Sprachenbildung 
Author: Catherine Carré-Karlinger