Section outline

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    Welcome!

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    Welcome!
     
    Rooted in Sweden’s rich tradition of popular education (folkbildning), the study circle (studiecirkel) is a democratic, participatory method of adult learning. Rather than relying on a traditional top-down classroom structure where an expert lectures an audience, a study circle brings together a small group of peers who meet regularly to read, discuss, and learn from one another on equal terms.
     
    Key characteristics of the Swedish study circle method include no traditional teacher. Instead, a circle often has a facilitator (cirkelledare) whose role is to guide the conversation and ensure everyone’s voice is heard, rather than to lecture. Knowledge is built socially through active dialogue, diverse perspectives, and shared critical reflection rather than passive consumption. Participants practice listening, mutual respect, and inclusive participation—making the study circle not just a tool for acquiring knowledge, but a practice ground for democracy itself.
     
    Using This Material
    The materials provided here, accompanying Everyday Democracy, are designed to be used within this framework. Whether you are educators, students, activists, or community members, these modules invite you to move beyond reading alone and to engage in deep, collaborative conversations about how democratic habits, resilience, and civic culture are built in everyday life.
    Grab a cup of coffee, gather a circle of curious minds, and start exploring.
     
    Our first test

    This is a study guide for the anthology Everyday Democracy: Building Resilience Against Polarization and Radicalization. The course is intended as a modular learning journey that mirrors the central idea of the book, namely that democracy is something people do in everyday life.

    After completing this course, participants should be able to

    • Explain the concept of everyday democracy.
    • Identify how polarization affects daily life.
    • Reflect on the relationship between media, culture and democracy.
    • Analyze examples of democratic resilience from different countries.
    • Develop practical strategies for strengthening democratic participation in their own communities.
    • Understand the role of dialogue, trust, solidarity and hope in sustaining democracy.
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    Extra exercise: Mapping Everyday Democracy around the world

    This is an exercise intended to provide understanding of the book's global scope. It also aims to help participants identify common democratic challenges across very different societies, recognize that everyday democracy takes different forms depending on local conditions and compare democratic practices across continents.

    Materials

    • Large world map (digital or printed)
    • Sticky notes (physical or virtual)
    • Country cards

    Countries: Sweden, Lebanon, Portugal, Iran, Taiwan, Spain, Canada, United States, Japan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Step 1: Locate the cases

    Place cards on the map. For each country, identify the following: continent, chapter theme, and at least one democratic challenge addressed in the respective chapters.

    Step 2: Identify democratic challenge clusters

    Connect countries with colored lines based on their respective democratic challenges identified in Step 1. Possible categories could include polarization (Portugal, Taiwan, Spain), trust and community (Lebanon, Sweden), authoritarian pressures (Japan, Iran), the role of media (Spain, Canada, Portugal), gender (DRC, Japan), participation and inclusion (Sweden, Lebanon, DRC).

    Discussion

    1. What similarities appear between countries that are geographically far apart? What surprises you?
    2. Can you formulate an everyday democratic practice that addresses the different challenges? You can use the book chapter or come up with your own ideas.
    3. What can other countries learn from each case? 
    4. Write your answer in 3. as inspiration that can be generalized. For example, if you read chapter 1 about Sweden, you may state that "participation builds trust".

    Step 3: Create a democracy transit map

    Instead of countries, connect ideas. Each country becomes a station in a global democracy transit system.

    As an example, three countries could connect on the Participation Line (Sweden, Lebanon, DRC), and two countries could connect on the Resistance Line (Iran, Japan).

    In the end, discuss which stations connect, and which democratic values appear repeatedly? Which values seem universal?

    Step 4: Weaving a global democracy quilt

    Using the countries and insights identified in the previous steps, create one "quilt square" for each country. Each square should contain: 

    • Country
    • Democratic challenge
    • Everyday democratic practice or response
    • A key democratic value (i.e. trust, participation, inclusion, dialogue, courage, solidarity, creativity, hope)
    • A transferable lesson, written as a short statement

    Examples:

    • Participation builds trust.
    • Storytelling amplifies marginalized voices.
    • Dialogue can bridge social divisions.
    • Art can sustain democratic imagination.
    • Young people can strengthen democratic resilience.

    Arrange the squares together into a large quilt, either physically or digitally.

    Once all squares have been completed, participants can draw "stitches" between them. The stitches represent shared values, practices, or lessons that connect different countries. For example, Lebanon may connect to Sweden through participation and community-building. A single square may be connected to several others.

    Final reflection

    Stand back and examine the completed quilt. Discuss the following questions:

    1. Which values appear most often across the quilt?
    2. Which countries seem most connected to others? Why?
    3. Which connections surprised you?
    4. What democratic challenges appear across multiple continents?
    5. Are there lessons that seem universally relevant despite different political, cultural, and historical contexts?
    6. Are there lessons that seem particularly relevant for a specific, local context?
    7. Looking at the quilt as a whole, what does it suggest about how democratic resilience is built?
    8. Finally, if you were to add one additional square to the quilt representing your own community, organization, or country, what democratic challenge, democratic practice, and key lesson would you contribute?