Dr. Gary Pluim

My research explores meanings and expressions of citizen participation in international and educational contexts. While the recommendation of more citizen participation routinely emerges as a solution in addressing global social problems such as unequal wealth distribution, misguided international development programs, and a myriad of social injustices, the contexts, constraints and conditions through which citizens actually participate are frequently obscured. Exploring issues related to citizen participation—cross-cultural interpretations, norms, and worldviews; barriers of language, gender, and class; and the limits and opportunities of participatory institutions—is a central focus of my research.

Some examples of my work include my doctoral thesis that examined constructions and conceptualizations of youth participation in the context of the post-disaster, national reconstruction of Haiti; my contribution to the Democracy, Political Literacy and Transformative Education research project, an initiative that examines how educators perceive democracy and how their perceptions impact their students’ understanding of democracy; and recent research that explores teachers experiences with critical reflexivity in the classroom.