Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, invites submissions for the Fourth International Why Still Education? Conference, under the title “Experience of Education”.
Belgrade, 9-11 October 2024
Relying on the traditions of theories of Bildung, phenomenology and critical pedagogy, this conference aims to approach the fundamental questions of nature and role of education by focusing on the lived experiences of education. We believe this may help tackle the problems of contemporary education by reorienting educational theory towards what truly matters: from education as a tool of human capital management, to education as a process that shapes human life, relations and personal growth. Drawing on a variety of lived educational experiences should reveal their underlying structures, leading to a deeper understanding of educational phenomena in their rich diversity and significance.
We welcome contributions from all areas of social sciences and humanities. The conference is open to both the theoretical analyses of the general structures, as well as to the empirical studies of lived educational experiences. The inspiration for the topic comes from the phenomenological concept of lived experience, but we also welcome contributions that do not belong to the school of phenomenology.
A turn to lived experience opens numerous themes, starting with the fundamental question of the very essence of education.
The Essence of Education. What is education insofar as it is actually lived? What are the main types of educative experiences and how do they influence and transform the way the world is experienced? What kind of intentionality is involved in education?
Educational Relationships. How is one’s own education experientially intertwined with their experience of self? How do the educated experience their educators and vice versa? How should we approach shared and collective educational experiences?
Education and Values. What educational experiences should be like and how decisions about this are made in the sphere where many intersecting interests and perspectives must be taken into account? How do all these factors influence the process of making sense of and assigning specific value to education?
Critiques, Resistances and Alternatives. How are contemporary problems of education manifested in the lived experience of educators and students, e.g. by distorting and impoverishing it? And what kinds of educational experiences could counter them?
School. We invite contributions that focus on the variety of school experiences: experiences of teachers, students, and other relevant actors, classroom life and interactions, relations of power, points of contact and conflict between school and the outside world, the curriculum, the teaching methods and other educational practices (e.g. testing, grading, counselling, etc.), temporal and spatial organization of school…
Further possible topics include analyzing various educational concepts, tools, materials, spaces, contents, activities, etc. with a focus on lived experience. Finally, there are also the questions of method: how can educational experiences be properly studied and adequately described? What is the value of insights gained in this way?
For the full text of the call please click here.
Organization of the Conference
The conference is organized by EduLab – the Laboratory for Educational Theories of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade.
Keynote Speakers
Gert Biesta (Maynooth University Ireland & University of Edinburgh)
Malte Brinkmann (Humboldt University)
Carla Rinaldi (Fondazione Reggio Children – Centro Loris Malaguzzi)
Application Procedure
Conference applications should be sent via e-mail to the following address: wse@ifdt.bg.ac.rs no later than 1 May 2024.
*Please add the aforementioned email address to your list of safe contacts.
The official languages of the conference are English and Serbian.
Possible presentation formats are individual or co-authored papers.
Presentations should not exceed 20 minutes.
Conference will take place in-person.
We kindly ask you to put the following title in your email subject: ‘APP Last name of the applicant’. The complete proposal in .doc, .docx or .pdf format (Times New Roman, 12, double), needs to contain:
- Abstract(up to 350 words), including title, keywords (up to 10).
- Name and surname, affiliation (include the complete hierarchy of the affiliation), and email address of every author that may be published in the book of abstracts.
There is no registration fee. The Program Committee of the conference will select the presenters based on the submitted abstracts. A book of abstracts will be published and distributed during the conference. Papers presented at the conference may be considered for future publication.
Important Dates
Application deadline: 1 May 2024
Notification of acceptance: 5 June 2024
Conference dates: 9-11 October 2024
Links
[EduLab] Laboratory of Educational Theories – INSTITUTE FOR PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIAL THEORY (bg.ac.rs)
Second International Conference Why Still Education? Emancipation and/or Education: Challenges and Frictions
If you have any questions, please write to us at wse@ifdt.bg.ac.rs.