Rhetorical Citizenship and Democratic Education in the Baltic Sea Region

How can schools foster democratic resilience in a time of polarisation, disinformation, and declining civic trust? This international conference explores how rhetorical and deliberative education can equip young citizens to navigate disagreement and strengthen democracy across the Baltic Sea region.

Democracy across the Baltic Sea region is under increasing strain. Political polarisation, disinformation, and declining civic trust threaten the conditions for public deliberation, while teachers seek new ways to realise the democratic mission of schools.

The international conference Rhetorical Citizenship and Democratic Education in the Baltic Sea Region brings together researchers, educators, and policy actors to explore how rhetorical and deliberative education can foster civic engagement and strengthen democratic resilience. Particular attention is paid to how rhetorical competences are cultivated in classrooms, and how language, communication, and civics subjects contribute to students’ ability to reason, argue, and participate in democratic life.

The event combines scholarly and practice-based perspectives and offers opportunities for dialogue across national and professional boundaries. It builds on the ReNEW workshop Teaching Democratic Participation in the Nordics and Beyond (Södertörn University, 2022) and the ongoing DEMORHET and READy projects, continuing a Nordic–Baltic line of inquiry into the civic potential of rhetorical education and a regional conversation on rhetoric, education, and democracy.

Deadline for abstracts: 30 November 2025

For the Call for Papers and abstract submissions, please see below under “Useful links".