Inclusive critical pedagogy: reclaiming democratic education amid neoliberal and populist hegemonies

Abstract

The authors examine the erosion of critical and multicultural pedagogy within the shifting hegemonic terrain from neoliberalism to right-wing populism. Drawing from Arendt, Laclau, Mouffe, and Biesta, they develop the construct of Inclusive Critical Pedagogy (ICP) as an alternative-hegemonic framework for democratic education. The analysis begins by tracing how neoliberal governance’s logic of competition and individualism has evolved, not collapsed, into populist discourses that mobilize affect, nostalgia, and moral panic through simulacra and ideological mediation. Using examples such as the 1776 Commission, educational gag orders, and ‘parental rights’ rhetoric, the analysis illustrates how populist movements construct ‘crisis’ narratives to delegitimize equity-oriented education. Against this backdrop, ICP is proposed as an alternative-hegemonic pedagogy that sustains agonism, plurality, and public deliberation. Rather than seeking consensus, ICP repositions education as a space of democratic struggle where meaning, identity, and justice are continuously contested. The article concludes by arguing that reclaiming foundations courses in educator preparation is essential to renewing democracy through inclusive critical pedagogy.