Civic Education and Democratic Identity in Contemporary Germany: Pedagogical Principles and Didactic Challenges in Times of Right-Wing Populism

The article assesses the role of civic education in contexts of heightened political polarisation, especially with a focus on right-wing populism. By drawing on the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Germany, we argue that civic education is an indispensible building block in redeeming the famous Bockenforde dictum in modern pluralist democracies. We outline several key principles and challenges civic education has to address in order to foster a 'thin' notion of democratic identity - or 'constitutional patriotism' as outlined by Dolf Sternberger and Jurgen Habermas. Against this background, we discuss how neutral civic education can, may and should be. Finally, we conclude by formulating an appeal towards more attitude instead of restraint vis-a-vis right-wing populist positions.