Annual Report 2015, Budapest
Network 7 received over 100 proposals. It is one of the 8 networks which receives a high number of proposals every year. During ECER 2015 Network 7 had as usual paralell sessions during the whole conference.
The paper sessions had the following topics: teachers' views on social justice; students' perceptions on (inter)nationalism; intercultural education and identity development; refugee and Muslim students; schoolleadership and equity; promoting social justice; research methodologies; educational approaches and Roma; teachers and intercultural education; forms of segregation; intercultural encounters in education; intercultural education in school practice; intercultural tools for teacher education; marginalization and special education; intercultural, peace and Humanist worldview education; students' views on social justice; teachers professional identities towards diversity; divisions and tranformation.
Three joint sessions were organized in collaboration with 4 different networks. We had a joint paper session with Curriculum, Research on Language in Education (31) and with one with Educational Leadership (26). With Policy Studies and Politics of Eduction (23) and Curriculum innovation (3) we had a joint symposium.
The other 11 symposia had the following topics: Roma inclusion; Roma studies; culturally diverse teachers; learning spaces for inclusion and social justice in Nordic countries; curriculum spaces and strategies for social change; religious education; new migration from Greece and the challenge for education; citizenship education and contemporary art; schools as queer spaces; transnational educational spaces.
One session was a network meeting.
The sessions of network 7 have been attended very well. On the whole we found time during the sessions to raise interesting questions and points for discussion.
A new initiative this year was a workshop which was held one day before the main conference. This workshop was meant to give space for visiting local initiatives, and meeting local teachers and researchers from the host country. Agnes Heller was invited to share her ideas with NW7. Her considerable knowledge and comparative intercultural account (eg USA/Europe) of the state of research in universities caused much interest . Her historical and biographical account of what had been happening over the past 4 decades and how bureaucracy has left the university sector denuded and somewhat in the dark where ‘originality’ was concerned caused much interest. Two contributions (from those present confirmed at the workshop) acknowledged that it was a provocative and thought provoking contribution. The idea of pre-conference workshop coordinated by Eunice Macedo was much appreciated and highly commended.
During the conference an initiative was running which was of immediate concern both within Hungary and beyond. Questions as 'What is Europe and what is the European identity of educational research?' were raised. This is linked to 'Who is European?' NW7 acknowledged a deep concern for the refugees in Europe. In terms of the EERJ moot at the conference convenors put forward a form of wording on behalf of the network.
As the network on Social Justice and Intercultural Education (Network 7 at ECER) convenors and participants specifically focused on social justice and intercultural education. We feel it is necessary to take a stand on the deep changes taking place in European nation states and European Union as effect of humanitarian crises (specifically concerning a number of African countries) and wars in Syria and the Middle East. As researchers we need to take a responsible position that concerns our research goals and approaches: we believe that diversity is enriching and challenging and has always been a part of European history and societies. We should see what is happening from a wider, longer perspective, so as to question what being European means, as well as what European educational research aims at, so as to realise social and educational justice and the sustainability of our common world.
Research is never neutral!
The Convenors
Yvonne Leeman (The Netherlands), Francesca Gobbo (Italy), Ghazala Bhatti (Britain), Eunice Macedo (Portugal) and Dana Moree (The Czech Republic)