After more than three decades of globally dominant neoliberal governance policies in education, there is growing unease about whether such policies provide a fruitful basis for addressing contemporary global social challenges through education. It remains unclear whether widely implemented educational policy orientations—such as technocentrism in education, educational performativity, competence-based education, conservative educational factualism, and educational activism—offer productive educational visions, methods, or conceptual tools for policymakers, teachers, and school leaders.
Based on a Special Issue published by Hungarian Educational Research Journal we offer a series of four open access on-line sessions discussing non-affirmative theory of education and Bildung during the spring term of 2026.
This seminar critically reflect on how the non-affirmative approach can offer new openings and a way forward given contemporary challenges.
The seminar will take place on Zoom and is open to all (see links below).
Each session is scheduled according to UTC+2 (Finland time). Click this link to see world clock.
The articles for the sessions can be found by clicking on the heading of each presentation.
Seminar 1: Educative Teaching for Bildung
Tuesday, February 17th, 12-2pm https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025?omn=65581990704 (Meeting ID: 533 174 8025)
Zsanett Ágnes Bicsak: Introduction to the series.
Manal Hamarsha: Review of a recent volume on NAT.
Michael Uljens: NAT and the notion of ‘educative teaching’.
Seminar 2: Reinterpreting the pedagogy of care through non-affirmative theory
Tuesday, March 10th, 12-2pm, https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025?omn=61671674497 (Meeting ID: 533 174 8025)
Khalil Gholami, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Seminar 3: Non-affirmative theory of education and pedagogical challenges of recognition
Tuesday, March 31st ,12–2 pm, https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025?omn=64053305617 (Meeting ID: 533 174 8025)
Anke Redecker, University of Bonn, Germany
Seminar 4: Educational Subject Philosophy in China and non-affirmative theory of education
Tuesday, April 21th, 12–2 pm, https://aboakademi.zoom.us/j/5331748025?omn=61180776357 (Meeting ID: 533 174 8025)
Fangxin Liu, Bejing University, China