University of Oulu, Finland

11-12 June 2026

We are pleased to announce a joint conference that specifically invites academic researchers engaged in the study of dialogue, democracy, and education. Researchers from philosophy, pedagogy, history, political science, and related disciplines are encouraged to contribute their expertise as we collectively advance academic understanding and innovation within democratic education.

Dialogue has long been central to democracy, yet its role in democratic education is now facing new challenges. Today’s polarized political climate and critiques of discussion-based democracy highlight difficulties in achieving genuine dialogue, with some arguing these models are too idealized or impractical given real educational inequalities. Still, dialogue, deliberation, and debate remain vital for a functioning democratic society. This conference aims to explore how these modes of communication
are realized and their significance in democratic education.

Presentations are welcomed on topics linking dialogue, deliberation, debate, education, democracy, and related concepts, as well as work connecting different theories and research fields. While the conference focuses on philosophy of education, contributions from pedagogical practice, teacher education, empirical educational research, history of education, and political science are also encouraged.

Keynote Speakers and Panelists

• Nicholas C. Burbules Emeritus Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Keynote and panelist.
• Andrea English Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Philosophy of Education, University of Edinburgh. Keynote and panelist.
• Jonas Lieberkind Associate Professor of Educational Sociology, Danish School of Education, Aarhus University. Keynote.
• Dina Mendonça Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Philosophy, Nova University of Lisbon (IFILNOVA). Keynote.
• Panel discussion: Enabling Conditions and Obstacles to Deliberation in Democratic Education; Nicholas C. Burbules, Silvia Edling, Andrea R. English & Maughn Gregory.

Schedule

• Submissions (abstracts, full papers, and symposia proposals) by Nov 30, instructions available by Oct 15 at https://ssl.eventilla.com/democraticdialogue
• Full paper submissions will be considered for publication in an edited volume after the conference.
• Silvia Edling Professor of Education, University of Gävle. Panelist. Maughn Gregory Professor of Educational Foundations, Montclair State University.
• Registration opens January 5, 2026.
• Early bird registration by April 15: Conference fee 95 €. Attendees presenting must register by April 15.
• Registration from April 16 to June 5: Conference fee 130 €. Doctoral students free of charge.
• Submissions (abstracts, full papers, and symposia proposals) by Nov 30, instructions available by Oct 15 at https://ssl.eventilla.com/democraticdialogue
• Full paper submissions will be considered for publication in an edited volume after the conference.

Organizers

• Organizing Committee: Katariina Holma, Hanna-Maija Huhtala, Anniina Leiviskä, Jan Löfström and Tuukka Tomperi
• Organized in collaboration with the research consortium DELIBERATE. Education for Deliberation: Practices of Inquiry in Dialogue-Based Democratic Education. https://deliberate.fi