The backsliding of democracy in Europe over the past ten years or so highlights that democracy cannot be taken for granted and points to the need for its continued renewal. In this context, universities play a role in developing and maintaining democratic culture and modelling democratic practice. This paper analyses the Council of Europe’s policy frameworks that foreground higher education’s role in developing democracy. Specifically, the implementation and applicability of Council of Europe educational policies in relation to one of its member states, Armenia, are considered. I examine how the Armenian Ministry of Education and a major university in Armenia interpret and respond to the pertinent Council of Europe policy initiatives. In parallel to this, I present what forms the relationship between education and democracy take locally in the context of an Armenian university. Drawing on ethnographic qualitative data in the form of documentary analyses, five-month-long fieldwork at the Council of Europe, and twenty-five interviews across national and institutional levels, the research uncovers gaps between regional (European) ambitions and national (Armenian) implementation and translation. The discussion and conclusion will argue that while the Council of Europe considers higher education as key to cultivating democratic culture, the national uptake of its policy frameworks is uneven and often tacit, conditioned by national policy priorities, and relational dynamics. Furthermore, findings from the Armenian university contribute to the scholarship of education and democracy drawn from a smaller, often underrepresented national context.

Authors:
Syuzanna Sahakyan, Coventry University, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Ms Syuzanna Sahakyan is currently a PhD student at Coventry University, UK. Her general interests include Education studies, Teaching Methodologies, English Language. Her doctoral research explores the relationship between higher education and democracy.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzansahakyan/

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