Overview

This book explores how and why civility contributes to a vibrant democratic society, and how it can be fostered and cultivated as a key part of democratic education. It suggests that civility only makes sense as a civic virtue if it is conceived in relation to civic friendship, concord and fellow-feeling. This book offers a timely snapshot of civility as a pressing, yet enduring, concern in democratic life and education. It elucidates a virtue-based conceptualization of civility and its place within democratic education, and makes use of real-life examples and cases to illustrate its arguments and to engage a range of readers. In short, this book is interested in what civility is and how schools can and do cultivate civility.