Philosophy in schools as practice in ‘critical’ civility: A study in post-conflict Northern Ireland

This article explores the outcome of a Philosophy with Children (PwC)-focused pilot citizenship programme (The Critical Civility Project) on children in post-conflict Northern Ireland. A six-week study was conducted with 10 primary-level classes of children aged 8 to 11. The programme delivered to children combined PwC pedagogy with themes drawn from recent work on civility from political philosophy, where civility here is understood as a set of norms and dispositions that allow individuals (as citizens) to communicate respect for one another, particularly when engaging collaboratively and critically on matters of local and global democratic importance. Post-pilot questionnaire results from children reveal self-reported positive changes in attitudes and behaviours towards others, particularly in contexts of disagreement. While further, more rigorous testing of the benefits of the programme is needed, the study points to the potential for philosophy as an underpinning component of democratic citizenship education in the region.