As in previous years (for example in Dublin), this opening session is intended to introduce European and international scholars to the discourse on intercultural education and social justice in the respective host country of ECER. In cooperation with the convenor of Intercultural Education of the German Society for Educational Science (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft, Sektion Interkulturelle Bildung), Prof. Dr. Claudia Machold, the convenors of network 7 (EERA) have invited three scientists from Germany to Hamburg with the aim of presenting the specifics of the German discourse, such as controversies, research focuses, but also blind spots.

The first contribution will be given by Prof. Dr. Isabell Diehm from the University of Frankfurt. She will deal with the term "migration" and discuss it critically against the terms "interculture" and "culture". In the second talk, Prof. Dr. Sara Fürstenau (University of Hamburg) will present a central theoretical concept in international empirical research on migration and education, the concept of transnationalism, and discuss its relevance in German educational discourse. In the third lecture, Prof. Dr. Argyro Panagiotopoulou (University of Cologne) will introduce the discourse on migration, multilingualism, and language education policy, and in particular critically discuss the German concept of “Bildungssprache” (language of education) widely used in research and practice.

Half an hour remains in the format of the session for a joint discussion with the plenum after the completion of all impulse lectures. Prof. Dr. Claudia Machold (University of Wuppertal, Germany) and Prof. Dr. Lisa Rosen (University of Cologne, Germany) will chair the discussion, highlighting similarities and differences between the German and European discourses on intercultural education and social justice.

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