A two-day summit of talks, activities, and multidisciplinary discussions on the role, experiences and practices of racism as well as ethnic and religious discrimination in the educational sector.

The conference aims to open discussions on how to understand the complex realities of racism and ethnic and religious discrimination in relation to education - often heralded in policy discourse as key to combat racism and to promote an inclusive democratic society. The ambition of the conference is to bridge disciplinary, thematic, theoretical and methodological boundaries - including long-standing barriers between research on racism and antisemitism - in order to open a space for critical scholarship during this divisive time. 

We invite paper abstracts and panel proposals of both theoretical, methodological and empirical kind. We encourage submissions from both junior and senior scholars. 

The conference is organized by Uppsala University, Department of Education (EDU), together with the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies on Racism (CEMFOR/UU), the Segerstedt Institute (GU), the Living History Forum, Department of Society, Culture and Identity (MAU) and the Forum for Jewish Studies (UU). 

Despite the emphasis placed in political and public debate on education as key to combat racism and to promote an inclusive society, the educational sector – from preschool to higher education – continues to be a site of everyday racism(s) as well as ethnic and religious discrimination. It is within the educational context that most children experience racism for the first time, often as early as kindergarten, and research has shown that racism and ethnic and religious discrimination are the most common forms of harassment in the educational sector. Despite good intentions, teachers, staff and institutional educational reform frequently contribute to and reproduce racial practices, knowledges and structures. Given the complex heterogeneity that characterizes the social and political field of education, as well as racism as a social and political practice, the Nordic Conference on Racism and Education aims to offer a multidisciplinary forum that bridges conceptual, methodological and disciplinary divides. Our starting point is that there is no racism in the singular, only racisms in the plural (Goldberg, 1993). 

We invite paper abstracts and panel proposals of both theoretical, methodological and empirical kind and we encourage submissions from both junior and senior scholars.  

Topics to be discussed during the conference include, but are by no means limited to:

• Experiences of racism and ethnic and/or religious discrimination among negatively racialized students, and students belonging to minorities

• Experiences of racism and ethnic and/or religious discrimination among educational staff and guardians

• Prevalence of racism and ethnic and/or religious discrimination in school, including higher education

• Relation between racism(s) towards different groups of negatively racialized students 

• Institutional forms of racism across different levels of education

• Anti-racist work in preschool, school and higher education

• Ethical methodologies to study racism and ethnic and/or religious discrimination in education

• Dissemination of conspiracy theories in school: How are they understood and handled by schools?

• Teaching and learning about the Holocaust as a means to counter racism and ethnic and religious discrimination (e.g. antisemitism, antiziganism, islamophobia)

• One size fits all? Educating about different forms of racism and to differently racialized groups and religious minorities

• Critical analyzes of educational material

• Prevention against racism and (ethnic and religious) discrimination as well as violence prevention work with children and young people

• Segregation, school policy reforms and structural racism

• Health aspects of racism and discrimination

• Anti-racist school social work

• The education system's level of knowledge in matters of racism and discrimination

• Negative societal costs of racism, discrimination and anti-democratic forces 

Submit your abstract or panel proposal by 12 January 2024

Submission site: https://doit.medfarm.uu.se/bin/kurt3/kurt/99962

Abstract lenght: 300 words

Located at the centre of Uppsala, Blåsenshus  is reachable by foot from numerous hotels. The organizing committee and keynote speakers will stay at Hotel von Kraemer, von Kraemers allé 26. 

Lars M Andersson, Director of the Forum for Jewish Studies and Senior Lecturer in History, Uppsala University

Mirjam Katzin, Research Coordinator, Segerstedt Institute, University of Gothenburg

Jan Christer Mattson, Director of the Segerstedt Institute and Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy, University of Gothenburg

Hassan Sharif, Senior Lecturer in Child- and Youth Studies, Department of Education, Uppsala University

Malin Thor Thureby, Professor of History, Department of Society, Culture and Identity, Malmö University

Claes Tängh Wrangel, Researcher/Director, Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies on Racism, Uppsala University

Oscar Österberg, Research Coordinator, Living History Forum