Citizenship education and conspiracy. From suspicion to critical thinking

Abstract

Increasingly, influencers and manipulators spread suspicion, fake news, and a mentality of conspiracy. Today civic education has the task of building pupils’ and students’ resilience against cognitive bias and emotional manipulation. In order to teach civic education, education must be based on knowledge and life experiences that deconstruct critically distorted communication and prejudice, and rebuild trust in active and inclusive citizenship, rejecting a conspiratorial interpretation of events.