While the right to education has been guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights since 1948 (Article 26), it has often been acknowledged that an effective implementation of this right in the form of educational equity and justice has been achieved to an unequal and generally unsatisfactory extent. Such inequalities have not only been between Global North and Global South; within national education systems and even the microcosm of the school, access to education has too often been dependent on a student’s personal background, be it financial, social, ethnic, or familial. More recently, in the aftermath of the global COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are facing an unprecedented disruption not only to their economies and societies but especially to their education systems. Already existing inequalities – on all levels – have been exacerbated, with the prognosis that the impact of this global crisis will undo several decades of progress with respect to anti-discrimination, gender equality, and educational justice. At the same time, now more than ever, education is ascribed a key role in equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to work together to help promote sustainable peace and social justice, appreciation of diversity, social participation and democratic action, solidarity, and resilient responses to societal challenges. But what is meant by “sustainable” peace when a new war in Europe has effectively put the long-trusted strategy of “peace at all costs” up for negotiation, while ubiquitous concepts of “sustainability” are informed primarily by hegemonic governance discourses of the Global North?
While the digitization of education and educational media seeks to render education more accessible and relevant for modern-day society, debates around conditions for active participation and access to technology and resources have highlighted more recent challenges in this regard, focusing, for instance, on exclusion, inequality and injustice.

In this context, the term educational equity moves beyond access to education per se to include the pursuit of an education system that address all students, regardless of their social background or origin, language, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, or ability to learn. Educational equity signifies conditions that ensure all students have the opportunities, support, and resources they need to achieve their individual educational goals.

This year's conference will therefore address the question of how educational justice can be achieved and promoted under various conditions and inquires as to the philosophical, motivational, and practical challenges and approaches to solutions from educational theory, policy and practice. Special attention will be given to the specific and common challenges to education in both the Global North and South as well as in a variety of conflict- and post-conflict-contexts.

The Georg Arnhold Program on Education for Sustainable Peace invites submission of original contributions that draw upon current theories and innovative methods, in a range of contexts, to illuminate the different aspects and challenges educational justice is facing today.

The four-day long Summer Conference will bring together early-career scholars, senior researchers, and practitioners from around the world. It will provide an interdisciplinary and international forum that will allow participants to debate and critically reflect upon key research questions, methods, findings, and their implications. The academic program will offer participants the opportunity to widen their research perspectives and improve their methodological competencies.

WORKSHOP – THE IRC INCUBATOR
Part of the Summer Conference is a workshop organized and facilitated by the Airbel Impact Lab, which is the research and innovation arm of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). During the workshop, conference participants will use design methods and mindsets to think through practical ways of improving the impact of their work and/or increasing its application.

Following the summer conference, up to 5 individuals will be selected to undertake fellowships with the IRC. These individuals will work closely with IRC staff to undertake work which furthers both the IRC’s and the fellows’ interests.

HOW TO APPLY
The Summer Conference primarily welcomes applications from academic experts, post-doctoral scholars and doctoral candidates from the humanities and social sciences, particularly education, history, political sciences, sociology, law, anthropology, and psychology. Practitioners working for international organizations and NGOs in the relevant fields are also welcome to apply. Applications from students enrolled in a master’s program and recent graduates with a master’s degree will be considered in exceptional cases.

The GEI invites suitable applicants to complete and submit an online application form, which can be reached via our website:https://www.gei.de/en/institute/career/georg-arnhold-program/international-summer-conference

The deadline for completed applications is March 30, 2023. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-April.