Critical harmony: A goal for deliberative civic education

ABSTRACT

This paper makes the case for including critical harmony as a complement to justice within civic education. The concept of harmony is significant for civic education because it acknowledges the crucial role that relationships play in society—an important moral, ethical, and social ideal in many cultures around the world. Harmony must also incorporate a critical dimension, however, by embracing conflict and tension, valuing difference and diversity, and striving for balance among divergent voices. By using examples of public issues such as housing and gender identity to illustrate the relational dimension of public policy, this paper argues that the concept of critical harmony can contribute to a more comprehensive foundation for students’ deliberation of civic issues.

KEYWORDS:

• Harmony
• civic education
• citizenship education
• justice
• curriculum

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Hana Jun for her careful assistance during manuscript preparation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Li-Ching Ho

Li-Ching Ho is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include global civic education, multicultural education, and environmental citizenship education.

Keith C. Barton

Keith C. Barton is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Indiana University. His research interests include history education, human rights education, and curriculum history.