The Image of the ‘Other’/the Neighbour in the Educational Systems of the Balkan Countries

The Balkan Society for Pedagogy and Education (BASOPED) is organizing the 16th Conference of the Balkan Society for Pedagogy and Education, titled “The Image of the ‘Other’/the Neighbour in the Educational Systems of the Balkan Countries”. The conference will be held on 26-28 September 2013, in Thessaloniki.

On the year 1998, fifteen years ago, the Balkan Society for Pedagogy and Education (BASOPED) was one of the co-organizers of the conference under the topic “The Image of the “Other”/ the Neighbour in the School Textbooks of the Balkan Countries” (held in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 16-18 October 1998). And now the 16th Conference of BASOPED is organized as a follow up initiative, which provides an opportunity for academics, researchers, school teachers and school professionals, policy makers et al. to examine and present the developments in the Balkan Educational Systems during the intermediate time (1998-2013).

Purpose of the Conference is to share and indicate the image or the profile of the Balkan “Other”/ Neighbour as they are presented in the school textbooks and school programs, in guidelines for teachers, electronic media and in everyday life in schools of the Balkan countries.

Participants present with papers or posters their research analysis of the context of one school textbook or series of similar books, school programs, as well as results of comparative studies (cross sectional or longitudinal) concerning issues of the educational policy (for example laws of education etc.) with many national, political, cultural and social implications and relationships with neighbour countries.

It is considered that, even today in the society of information, the school textbooks are the main informative resources in teaching and learning as well as the educational and political means that can affect students cognitive and emotional to regulate their behavior and relationships with the neighbour people of the Balkan countries by shaping attitudes and reproducing stereotypes, prejudices, enemy images etc.

Main topics of the Conference

School textbooks primarily of Language, History, Literature, Social and Political Education, Environmental Studies, Geography and Religions Education of the Balkan Countries are considered under the perspectives of:

• the national “self”, the national “enemy”, and the national identity

• the relation with foreign policy, inter-Balkan cooperation, EU policy, economic crisis, etc.

• teaching and learning in the classroom, in the extra-curricular activities and the national celebrations within schools

• the views of teachers or students on the books they use

• the Educational programs and teaching methods

• New Technologies: e-learning, social media etc.

Programme_The Image of the Other

The conference will be held in cooperation with the Department of Educational and Social Policy of the University of Macedonia, the Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies of the University of Macedonia, the Department of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the School of Philosophy and Education of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Department of Elementary Education of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Department of Sciences of Preschool Education of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Department of Elementary Education of the University of Western Macedonia, the Department of Nursery Education of the University of Western Macedonia, The Greek National Branch of BASOPED (GNB of BASOPED), the Hellenic Educational Society – Branch of Macedonia.

Organizing Committee

Dimitrios Goudiras, Professor, Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Conference.

Dimitrios Mavroskoufis, Professor, School of Philosophy and Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Dimitrios Charalampous, Professor, Faculty of Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Sofronis Chatzisavidis, Professor, Faculty of Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Fotis Siokis, Associate Professor, Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia.

Vasiliki Papadopoulou, Associate Professor, Department of Elementary Education, University of Western Macedonia.

Athina Sipitanou, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia.

Vasiliki Mitropoulou, Assistant Professor, Department of Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Ioannis Mpetsas, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursery Education, University of Western Macedonia.

Maria Rantzou, Lecturer, Department of Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Maria Anagnostopoulou, School Counselor of Primary Education.

Michael Georgiadis, School Counselor of Secondary Education.

Maria Sytziouki, Fellow Researcher of University of Macedonia.

Olga Kassoti, Headteacher.

Stefania Mertzimeki-Filipova, Lecturer, Department of Balkan, Slavic & Oriental Studies, University of Macedonia.

Conference Secretariat

Vasiliki Mitropoulou

Maria Rantzou

Argyro Chachoudi

Eleni Poimenidou

E-mail: [email protected]

For further information visit the website of BASOPED (www.basoped.edu.gr), or the University of Macedonia (www.uom.gr)