Children as political actors in school: a case of participation and conflict in the context of the writing of Chile’s new Constitution

Abstract

Chilean children and youth have been essential to the country’s social changes, including the social mobilizations that led to an agreement for a new constitution. This article seeks to delve into the complex relationship between the political subjectivities of children and young people and the school’s role in this. We focus on an episode of school participation where there is a conflict concerning the violence suffered by women. Through critical discourse analysis, we analyze the value of conflict in politics and the possibilities for the school to integrate it as a form of citizenship education.