Abstract

The concept of mimesis can be utilized in educational theorizations of democratic citizenship and in fleshing out learning paths related to citizenship. It offers the possibility to examine citizenship from the viewpoint of an informal way of learning that is, at times, unconscious, and even accidental, and which can lead to unwanted outcomes. Such characteristics of learning are inescapable for human beings and, thus, hold crucial importance for education for democratic citizenship. Drawing on the theory of mimesis, the chapter argues for the importance of acknowledging the mimetic power of emotions. It employs particularly Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer’s account of mimesis in which mimesis is both a possibility and a threat. However, according to them, the modern individual has a strong tendency toward unfavourable mimesis due to an unbalanced human-nature relationship. The overall purpose is to examine how the notion of mimesis can contribute to education for democracy.