Call for Abstracts: Civic Education and Practices of Democracy in Post-Soviet Countries

The Civic Education Lecturers Association (CELA) invites the submission of abstracts for the Third International Scientific Conference on the Civic Education and Practices of Democracy in Post-Soviet Countries to be held on July 1-2 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Submission Deadline:            April 30, 2017
Open to:                                   Educators, Researchers, Advanced Doctoral Students

Conference Date:                    July 1-2, 2017
Conference Venue:                 Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

The main goal of this conference is to invite educators, researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and other interested individuals to explore theoretical frameworks related to civic education, educational policies, and conceptualization of the notion of citizenship and civic values in the context of regime transformation and democratic development following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit their abstracts by April 30, 2017.

Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to attend the conference in Tbilisi, jointly organized by CELA and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, for presentations and panel discussions on the following themes:

  • Civic culture, consciousness, identity; their transformation and trajectories;
  • Civic education methods and civic curricula (knowledge, skills, values, among others);
  • Civic education: policy-making and policy implementation;
  • Civic engagement methods: from voting to community work; 
  • Minorities: integration or segmentation;
  • Shifting from ethnic to civic nationalism;
  • Global citizenship and the role of technology;
  • Other related topics.

In order to be considered, please submit your CV and abstract (250 – 300 words) in MS Word (.doc) format by April 30, 2017 to the following email: info@cela.ge. The e-mail subject line should read: “2017 CELA Conference.” Submissions may be in the following languages: Georgian, English, or Russian.

CELA will review all submissions and notify authors with final decisions by May 10, 2017.

Selected papers will be published as conference materials. Working languages will be Georgian, English and Russian. There is no participation fee and the conference participants will be provided with meals on conference days. However, participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging arrangements. For more information, please contact CELA at info@cela.ge or visit us at: www.cela.ge and www.facebook.com/celageo.

This project is made possible with the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the framework of the Strengthening Electoral Processes in Georgia project implemented by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

The Civic Education Lecturers Association (CELA) is a professional association that unites university-level civic educators from the majority of accredited tertiary academic institutions across Georgia under the common goal of establishing and strengthening Georgian institutions of higher learning as hubs for civic innovation, scholarship and action.