This book explores how concepts and values of contemporary democracy are variously understood and applied in diverse cultural contexts, with a focus on children and childhood and diversity. Drawing on a range of methodological approaches relevant to early childhood education, it discusses young children's engagement and voice. The book identifies existing practices, strengths, theories and considerations in democracy in early childhood education and childhood, highlighting the democratic participation of children in cultural contexts. Further, it illustrates how democracy can be evident in early childhood practices and interactions across a range of curriculum contexts and perspectives, and considers ways of advancing and sustaining practices with positive transformational opportunities to benefit children and wider ecological systems. It offers readers insights into what democracy and citizenship look like in lived experience, and the issues affecting practice and encouraging reflection and advocacy.

Autorentext
Professor Valerie Margrain has worked in education in New Zealand, Australia and Sweden, Her work at Karlstad University is in the area of Pedagogical Work, with a special focus on teacher education, young children, and early childhood education. She also has experience in early childhood and primary teaching, research, teacher education, higher degree teaching and research supervision. She received a Good practice in Assessment academic award from ACU, and an award for innovation in online teaching from Massey University, New Zealand. Professor Margrain's research and teaching centres around strength-based assessment in the early years. She is an advocate for marginalised or misunderstood children and families, including those with disabilities and gifted children. Her research has included a wide range of book, journal and chapter publications, journal reviewing and editing.
Professor Annica Löfdahl Hultman qualified as a preschool teacher in Sweden and is currently working in teacher education at Karlstad University. She is also a member of the education committee at the Swedish Research Council. Löfdahl Hultman has, for many years, been engaged in research ethics and is currently the chair of the local ethical committee at KAU.  She has published books and articles in Swedish and English on democracy in ECE; children's peer cultures, play and studies within the field of education policy; and the teaching profession in general and specifically in early childhood education. She is currently engaged in studies on preschool teacher education and on policy changes in early childhood education. Professor Löfdahl Hultman is the Scientific Leader of the Centre for Child & Childhood Studies in Education at Karlstad University.

Inhalt
Section 1 Introductory section.- 1 Introduction: Content and Context.- 2 The preschool as an arena for democratic education: A framework for teacher roles and child outcomes.- Section 2 Democracy in early childhood curriculum and policy.- 3 Ethical issues in child research: Caution of ethical drift.- 4 Talent development in preschool curriculum and policies: Implicit recognition of young gifted children.- 5 Parental decision-making about school start age in Australia: Democratic for whom?.- 6 Democracy and multilingualism in South African primary education: Implications for early literacy development.- 7 Engagement of children of Finnish descent in bilingual communicative events in Swedish preschool contexts.- Section III Espoused and enacted EC pedagogical practice.- 8 Banning the "Incompetent Child" in pedagogical documentation and discourse.- 9 Parent-Teacher-Child communication and advocacy: A community intervention.- 10 Time to tell more stories: Children, democracy and education in movement.- 11 Establishing a learner identity: Young digital citizens and the pursuit of a democratic and empowering early childhood education.- 12 Democratic discourses in higher education: Australian preservice student teacher perceptions of quality early childhood education.- Section IV Children's democratic arenas.- 13 Narratives of belonging: Migrant children's friendship negotiation.- 14 Inclusive practice for all: Child perspectives.- 15 Toddlers enacting democracy through communication in preschool.- 16 Preschool children as democratic subjects: Agents of democracy.- 17 Preschool children's resilience: An ecological perspective in a Taiwanese context.- Section V Conclusion.- 18 Challenging the challenges: Democratic spaces and opportunities in ECE.