The Role of Arts Education in Strengthening Democracy: Testing Hypotheses through Social Science

French cultural policies have long relied on the belief that expanding access to artistic works and cultural objects would contribute to strengthening democracy and citizenship (SAEZ, 1999, FABIANI, 2006). While this hypothesis has been frequently debated (LAHIRE, 2006), it has rarely been subjected to thorough examination through social science research. Today, however, we have a wealth of studies on the effects of arts and cultural education (LOYD 2017).

In this presentation, I aim to revisit the conceptual underpinnings of the link—central in the history of French cultural policies—between increasing access to culture and reinforcing democracy, and to explore how social sciences can test each of these connections. What can we observe in arts and cultural education programs that might either confirm or challenge these assumptions? Is it through the development of judgment that aesthetic experience and political participation are intertwined (Arendt, 1954) ? Do arts and cultural education programs genuinely contribute to the strengthening of critical thinking? How can this be measured?

Can aesthetic experiences serve as tools for socializing individuals into certain values or behaviors? Are the conditions under which art is experienced correlated with the development of particular forms of expression or political systems?

In this presentation, I will begin by offering a brief historical overview of the various frameworks used in public policy that connect citizenship with the development of cultural policies. Then, drawing on a review of the available research on arts and cultural education, I will examine both the possibilities and the limits of social sciences in testing these hypotheses through empirical investigation.