There were 21 papers presented this year.
These were organised into thematically linked sessions, including two panels on the theme ‘The body of the school child in the history of education’.
Other themes included ‘Teachers in the History of Education’ and ‘The Making of Educational Sciences’.
The various sessions were given in self-contained slots in the timetable of between one and a half and three hours. All sessions were chaired and there were some excellent discussions after most papers.
The network prioritises visual methods and approaches and this year, the technical facilities made available to presenters ensured some high quality presentations were delivered without any hitch.
Attendance at the sessions was generally good. The average was 12 people per session and some sessions were over 20.
The network continues to recruit and retain new members from the changing conference venues.
The business meeting
discussed the following items:
- Network convenors
After six consecutive years as network convenor, Ian Grosvenor (UK) and Frank Simon (Belgium) chose to stand down inviting members of this increasingly strong network to take their place. New convenors were agreed to be: Catherine Burke (UK) c.burke@education.leeds.ac.uk; Georgios Tzartzas (Education Research Centre, Athens); and Angelo van Gorp (University of Leuven). The new convenors join the remaining convenors of the network: Helena Ribeiro de Castro [University of Lisbon] and Ulrike Meitzner (University of Postdam).
- Geneva Conference theme and panels
The meeting discussed possible ways that the network might connect with the general conference theme for Geneva 2006: ‘Transforming Knowledge’. It was decided to organise at least one panel to connect with this theme. The continuation of the work in the area of visual culture would also continue through the organisation of a themed panel of papers.
Publications
The strong record of publications from this network was noted and there was a commitment to keep up the record of quality publications achieved so far. The network agreed to submit a paper to European Education Research Journal outlining the issues that the network and explored in its conference meetings and to look at core issues for historians of education in the European space.
The network organised a book launch to celebrate several publications which have recently emerged from the network’s activities.
Four volumes were launched:
First, a collection of papers from the Edinburgh Conference, 2000, has been edited by Nick Peim, Ulrike Mietzner and Kevin Myers into a volume, Visual History. Images of Education (Peter Lang, 2005).
Second, a Special Issue of Pedagogica Historica (October 2004) on ‘The Role of Congresses and Institutes in the Emergence of the Educational Sciences’ edited by Rita Hofstetter and Bernard Schneuwly.
Third, another Special Issue of Paedagogica Historica (August, 2005), edited by Catherine Burke, from the papers organised in the symposium, ‘Containing the School Child. Architecture and Pedagogies’, for the Hamburg Conference, 2003.
Finally, a book, published as part of a new series by Symposium Books, Materialities of Schooling (2005), edited by Martin Lawn and Ian Grosvenor was launched. This book developed from the symposium on material cultures in Lisbon. The book is the latest product in the New Histories of Education perspective developed by the Network.