Abstract
The Czech Republic is currently facing major internal challenges, notably problems with social exclusion and an increasing disparity between large cities and rural areas. According to The Analysis of Socially Excluded Regions in the Czech Republic (Čada 2015), the proportion of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the country is approximately 14.6 percent.
The scale of this exclusion poses a threat to social cohesion within Czech society, dividing the majority of society, which benefits from a lifestyle based on employment and consumption related to income, from the excluded minority. This is also reflected by the increasing polarisation of the social and economic interests of the two sections of Czech society, which are currently rapidly drifting apart.
Extremist sentiments are rising and gaining public support in excluded regions, as social exclusion translates into an undermining of the democratic cohesion of both Czech society and the democratic system. This chapter focuses on civic engagement and the participation of socially excluded groups, discussing how they might be provided with space, encouragement, skills, competencies and motivation, to engage fully in civic activities when entering into public space.
In particular, we address the question of whether and how it is possible to promote civic education for people at risk of social exclusion via the institution of public libraries. This is because the mission of public libraries is to act as local gateways to knowledge and to provide a safe environment for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and exchange between citizens of all social groups1.
A study conducted by the Civic Education Centre on the community-based role of libraries in the process of social inclusion was conducted to address these questions.