Explorations of Democracy, Belonging and Relationships with Land : Early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand

This groundbreaking book explores the interactions of three powerful concepts in early childhood education: early childhood settings as sites for democracy, belonging as a human need and basis for participation, and relationships with land.Through exemplars of pioneering practice, it renews thinking about democracy and broadens understanding of belonging in culturally diverse societies. Drawing from three research projects undertaken with teachers as collaborators in eleven early childhood settings, the book showcases examples grounded in Aotearoa New Zealand's renowned bicultural curriculum, Te Whariki.It demonstrates how participatory design methodologies can reimagine the theory-practice nexus and privilege diverse voices often marginalized in traditional research settings.Woven throughout are "glimpses of hope" that illustrate new possibilities for pedagogical practice in the country's bicultural context.In a time marked by significant societal shifts and neoliberal pressures, the