Education and Society

The Education and Society research community is based on social science approaches to the sociology of education, education policy, educational philosophy, cultural studies, gender studies, youth and childhood studies, as well as perspectives on social inequalities, equality and social justice.

The unit is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary and its focus extends from early childhood education and care to comprehensive school, educational transitions, higher education and adult education, as well as working life and sustainable everyday issues.

The unit strengthens social sciences and socially relevant research by examining the relationships between education and societal changes and their consequences, as well as the underlying agendas, and develops ways of teaching and taking a stand on social debate. 

We focus on themes such as:

• Marketisation and privatisation of education
• Changes in education governance, policy and knowledge formations
• Anticipated and alternative future trajectories of education
• Psychologisation and therapeutic ethos in education
• Education policies and practices and inequalities such as racism, sexism, misogyny, ableism, homo- and transfobia, and poverty
• Democracy, human rights, equality and non-discrimination work, antiracism work
• Cognitive, affective and academic capitalism in education
• Governance of education and guidance systems
• Demographic changes and education systems
• Comparative education
• Social history of education

We also elaborate with advanced methodologies such as discursive, affective and deconstructive approaches, narrative, nomadic, and drifting approaches, assemblage thinking, ethnography, genealogy, thematic and policy studies.