Adult Education in the Midst of Crises - CALL FOR PAPERS

It has been more than 10 years since the ESREA Between Global and Local – Adult Learning and Communities network congress was held in Istanbul. Since then, the world has been struggling with a number of adversities affecting almost every aspect of life.

Never-ending wars, besides having massive economic consequences both on the countries involved and on those who are not, have caused many to lose their lives, to continue their lives with disabilities, or have forced them to flee their countries. As a result of migration, many people face psychological, health, educational, economic and safety problems. The number of international migrants has reached an all-time high with almost 300 million people around the world. Many nations have been affected by this immense human mobility directly or indirectly as a destination, a source or a transit country.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also introduced new global inequalities if not intensified the existing ones. It has caused significant loss of life for millions people, affecting developing countries more severely than high-income ones which have more qualified healthcare systems and better access to vaccines. All social systems were paralysed, including education, resulting in increased educational problems. Acknowledged to be more than a health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on the economy increasing poverty and inequalities globally. While millions of people lost their jobs, women and workers in the informal economy have been hit harder than most.

The ecological crisis is threatening our lives more and more every day. Pollution of air, water and soil, food and water insecurity, disposal of toxic wastes, use of increasing levels of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, industrialization of agriculture and animal husbandry, and weather extremes are killing our planet. If urgent measures are not taken, the world will become less and less liveable.

Meanwhile, by being exposed to neoliberal framing, adult education loses its meaning as a theoretical and practical field of social transformation throughout these crises. Neoliberalism reduces adult education to achievement of professional/technical skills and knowledge, whereas the historical repertoire in this domain is mainly based on wider, egalitarian and emancipatory perspectives. Accordingly, neoliberal adult education situates the adult educator as a technical apparatus, whereas adult educators consider themselves as social agents of transformation. In the midst of this age of crises, The Istanbul Conference will be an opportunity to bring adult educators and the ESREA community together, to share ideas, research, and innovative methods related to the mentioned crises, seeking possible answers to the following questions:

• How is the field of adult education affected by crises?
• What are the changing dynamics of adult learning in times of crisis?
• What are the new learning opportunities and barriers in times of crisis?
• What should be the role of adult education and educators in the midst of crises?
• How should adult educators handle the programs for empowering people against crises?

We are looking forward to this event that is intended to foster high level of exchange and dialogue.

Onur Seçkin, Yeditepe University, Turkey
Ş.Erhan Bağcı, Çukurova University, Turkey
Şengül Erden, Ankara University, Turkey
Gökçe Güvercin, Maltepe University, Turkey
Begüm Yengel, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Simay Vapurlu, Yeditepe University, Turkey

Gülden Akın, Ankara University, Turkey
Niyazi Altunya, formerly Ankara University, Turkey
Hayat Boz, Ankara University, Turkey
Yelkin Diker Coşkun, Yeditepe University, Turkey
Ahmet Duman, Muğla Sıtkı Kocaman University, Turkey
Cem Kirazoğlu, İstanbul Aydın University, Turkey
Rıfat Miser, Ankara University, Turkey
Rıfat Okçabol, formerly Boğaziçi University, Turkey
Fevziye Sayılan, formerly Ankara University, Turkey
Ozana Ural, Marmara University, Turkey
Meral Uysal, Ankara University, Turkey
Özlem Ünlühisarcıklı, Boğaziçi University, Turkey
Ahmet Yıldız, Ankara University, Turkey

Zeynep Alica, formerly Ankara University, adjunct Maltepe University, Turkey
Aylin Buran, formerly Boğaziçi University, Turkey
Rob Evans, formerly University of Magdeburg, Germany
Isabel Gomes, formerly University of Porto, Portugal
Jose González Monteagudo, University of Seville, Spain
Estrella Gualda, University of Huelva, Spain
Sultan Güçlü, Kütahya Health Sciences University, Turkey
Hüseyin Kaygın, University of Bartın, Turkey
Ayla Keçeci, University of Düzce,Turkey
Nurcan Korkmaz, Ankara University, Turkey
Ewa Kurantowicz, University of Lower Silesia, Poland
Emilio Lucio-Villegas, University of Seville
Adrianna Nizinska, University of Göteborg, Sweden
Arnd Michael Nohl, Helmut Schmidt University, Germany
Angela Pilch-Ortega, University of Graz, Austria
Işık Sabırlı, İstanbul Medipol University, Turkey
Ayhan Ural, Gazi University, Turke

The main language of the conference is English; presentations, abstracts and full papers will be in English.

Abstracts should not exceed 500 words including: title; 3–5 keywords; aims/objectives; main perspective or theoretical/conceptual framework; methods, research design, mode of inquiry; data sources or evidence; results and/or conclusions; significance to the field of adult education.

Please submit two separate files for abstracts: one containing only the abstract, and the other including the abstract, your name, email address and your institutional affiliation.

Email address for abstract submission: esreaistanbul2023@gmail.com

Deadline for Abstract Submission: 28 April 2023
Notification of Acceptance: 16 June 2023
Deadline for Registration: 28 July 2023
Deadline for Full Paper Submission: 18 August 2023
Conference Dates: 7-9 September 2023