Moral Panic & the Struggle for Democratic Education: A Comparative Analysis
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| Title: | Moral Panic & the Struggle for Democratic Education: A Comparative Analysis |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Ginney Norton |
| Source: | Critical Questions in Education. 2026 17(1):1-17. |
| Availability: | Academy for Educational Studies. 2419 Berkeley Street, Springfield, MO 65804. Tel: 417-299-1560; e-mail: cqieeditors@gmail.com; Web site: http://academyforeducationalstudies.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Moral Issues, Foreign Countries, Social Control, Censorship, LGBTQ People, Educational History, Intersectionality, Punishment, Resistance (Psychology) |
| Geographic Terms: | Florida, United Kingdom |
| ISSN: | 2327-3607 |
| Abstract: | Education has long served as a central battleground where moral panic is leveraged to enforce ideological conformity, censorship, and exclusion. This paper critically examines how moral panic has historically and currently been deployed in educational contexts to suppress marginalized voices, particularly related to race, gender, and sexuality. Using a comparative historical analysis of two case studies--the Johns Committee investigations in Cold War-era Florida and Section 28 legislation in the United Kingdom--this paper reveals recurring patterns by which schools become instruments of social control, surveillance, and ideological repression. The analysis demonstrates that moral panic disproportionately targets educators and students whose identities or pedagogies challenge dominant societal narratives and established power structures. Situating recent manifestations of educational censorship, particularly as they relate to race, gender, and sexuality, within this broader historical context, the paper emphasizes how current political struggles replicate past cycles of exclusion and fear-driven governance. Concluding with strategies for resistance, the paper underscores the vital roles that educators, activists, and scholars play in recognizing, confronting, and ultimately disrupting moral panic. It calls for reclaiming educational institutions as democratic spaces committed to equity, intellectual freedom, and inclusive dialogue. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1494090 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Education has long served as a central battleground where moral panic is leveraged to enforce ideological conformity, censorship, and exclusion. This paper critically examines how moral panic has historically and currently been deployed in educational contexts to suppress marginalized voices, particularly related to race, gender, and sexuality. Using a comparative historical analysis of two case studies--the Johns Committee investigations in Cold War-era Florida and Section 28 legislation in the United Kingdom--this paper reveals recurring patterns by which schools become instruments of social control, surveillance, and ideological repression. The analysis demonstrates that moral panic disproportionately targets educators and students whose identities or pedagogies challenge dominant societal narratives and established power structures. Situating recent manifestations of educational censorship, particularly as they relate to race, gender, and sexuality, within this broader historical context, the paper emphasizes how current political struggles replicate past cycles of exclusion and fear-driven governance. Concluding with strategies for resistance, the paper underscores the vital roles that educators, activists, and scholars play in recognizing, confronting, and ultimately disrupting moral panic. It calls for reclaiming educational institutions as democratic spaces committed to equity, intellectual freedom, and inclusive dialogue. |
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| ISSN: | 2327-3607 |
