Narrative Participation and Democratic Becoming: Integrating Epic, Emic, and Ethical Perspectives for New Experiential Foundations of Citizenship Education

Contemporary societies are facing a profound democratic challenge characterized by increasing social fragmentation, declining trust in institutions, the weakening of intermediate bodies, and new forms of polarization amplified by digital capitalism. In this context, education is called to renew its historical mission of fostering active, critical, and responsible citizenship capable of contributing to collective well-being and democratic resilience. This contribution proposes an interpretative framework that reconsiders democratic participation through the intersection of three complementary narrative dimensions: the epic, the emic, and the ethical perspective. The epic dimension refers to the collective narratives through which communities construct shared meanings, aspirations, and visions of the future. Democratic participation is not merely a procedural act but also a process of belonging to a common story capable of mobilizing individuals toward collective goals. The emic perspective, rooted in the lived experiences and subjective meanings attributed by individuals and communities, emphasizes the importance of recognizing diverse voices, identities, and forms of participation. The ethical perspective introduces a reflective orientation toward responsibility, care, justice, and the common good. The paper argues that the dynamic interplay among these three dimensions generates a new experiential substratum for citizenship education. Within this framework, participation is understood not only as a civic competence but also as a transformative educational experience through which individuals develop agency, relational awareness, and a sense of collective responsibility. The contribution advances a theoretical reflection grounded in contemporary educational and democratic thought, proposing a narrative-pedagogical model for reimagining participation as a process of democratic becoming.