The University of Valencia hosts this congress on October 23, 24 and 25, 2024 with the co-organization of the UNESCO-UV Chair in Global Education in the Mediterranean: Studies for Peace, Interculturality and Sustainability, Università degli Studi di Messina (UNIME), ETNOR Foundation, UNESCO Chairs
The context of the congress
In a globalised world, freedom is considered a fundamental value. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the expansion of the free market economy, liberalism has become a globally dominant ideology, rather than simply a Western one, as Kohlberg predicted in 1980. But where does that leave the values of equality and solidarity? Can a social, political and educational concept of freedom truly be articulated without these values?
In Capital and Ideology (2021), Thomas Piketty investigates the question of inequality in contemporary society. Piketty argues that modern inequality “exhibits a range of discriminatory practices pursued with a violence that the meritocratic fairy tale utterly fails to acknowledge.” (6) He urges us to consider those who are homeless or come from impoverished, violent or famine-stricken areas, as well as the many lives lost at sea here in the Mediterranean.He argues that we need to adopt a new universalist and egalitarian vision that adequately addresses the issues of inequality, climate change and migratory movements. Without this change, all evidence points to the rise of identity movements, an increase in hate speech and the furthering of “deadly identities”, as characterised by Maalouf (2012). Furthermore, it will likely lead to the spread of authoritarianism, ultimately threatening liberal democracy itself in what Gozálvez, Buxarrais and Pérez (2023) have already termed post-democracy.
This is precisely the purpose of our meeting – to reflect together and forge a new universalist and egalitarian vision for our time, to rethink the meaning and limits of equality, to explore the values of solidarity and social justice as ethical achievements of humanity that must not be compromised or abandoned. Focusing on global education, from our corner of the Mediterranean, we aim to address the world and its problems, opening up avenues for action and establishing grounds for much-desired and reasonable hope.
References
Gozálvez, V., Buxarrais, M.R. y Pérez, C. (2023) Towards a post-democratic era? Moral education against new forms of authoritarianism, Journal of Moral Education, 52:4, 474-488, DOI: 10.1080/03057240.2022.2159346
Kohlberg, L. (1980). The future of liberalism as the dominant ideology of the West. In Richard W. Wilson & Gordon J. Schochet (eds.), Moral Development and Politics. Praeger, pp. 55–68.
Maalouf, Amin. (1998). Les identités meurtrières. Paris: Grasset. Translated into English by Barbara Bray. (2000). In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong. London: Harvill.
Piketty, Th. (2019). Capital et Idéologie. Paris: Seuil. Translated into English by Arthur Goldhammer. (2020). Capital and Ideology. Havard University Press.
Registration period
Registration period: From 1 May to 1 October 2024
FEES
| Professionals | 150 € |
| Researchers | 150 € |
| Primary or secondary school teachers of the GVA | 20 € |
| Students, unemployed individuals and retirees (Lecturers or presenters) | 20 € |
| Attending members of the UV | Free admission (prior registration on this website is required) |
Call for papers
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
-
The submission period for proposals (short presentations and practical actions) will be open from 1 March 2024 to 23 June 2024.
-
Once all proposals have been received, decisions regarding their acceptance will be communicated within approximately one month.
REGISTRATION
- Registration will be open from 1 May, once the registration for participation has been approved.
THEMATIC LINES
- Equality as a foundation for social justice – relevance for pedagogical action
- Rethinking freedom and its ties to equality – pedagogical implications
- Education for global democratic citizenship
- Education on sustainability as an element of social justice and solidarity
- Feminism, equality and education
- Inclusive education, social justice and equality
- Poverty and education
- Migration and education
- Interculturality and education
- Family, minors and social justice
- Educommunication, videogames and social media for equality
- Art, creativity and equality
SUBMISSION. INSTRUCTIONS TO ACCESS THE PLATFORM AND SUBMIT THE PRESENTATION PROPOSAL
On the congress website you will find all the information you need to send us your communication proposals.
