Call for Papers for the Monographic Issue 1/2027 of RSE–Rivista di Storia dell’Educazione
The history of comparative education has conventionally been articulated into three main phases. Following an initial empirical phase, a historical approach came to characterize the second phase of development, marked by the works of the “classics” of this field of pedagogical scholarship. During the first half of the twentieth century and up to the 1960s, historical-educational analysis was widely employed by comparativists as a means of scientifically understanding educational phenomena through comparison.
In the third phase of development — when comparative education increasingly opened itself to the social sciences and their methodologies — the relationship between the history of education and comparative education became less explicit. Nevertheless, this relationship has remained a foundational core of comparative studies. At the international level, for at least the past two decades, scholars have repeatedly emphasized the necessity of a historical grounding in comparative research. The growing prominence of “applied” comparative education, closely aligned with educational and economic policies, has not diminished the need for a solid historical-educational foundation.
This call seeks to promote scholarly investigation into the phases of development and evolution of the epistemology and methodology of the discipline, as well as to examine the intersections that historical and comparative research have established over past centuries and continue to establish today, while preserving their distinct epistemological frameworks and methodological specificities.
The issue of transfer — central both to educational policy-making and to theoretical conceptualization — likewise requires historical contributions capable of reconstructing its genealogy and anticipating its future developments.
From a methodological perspective, the classical comparative method outlined by Bereday and its subsequent reformulations, together with more recent research models, call for critical reflection. Such reflection may lead to integrative approaches grounded in historical inquiry and oriented towards innovative and creative future developments.
The dialogue between the history of education and comparative education may also contribute to articulating more clearly the European and global dimensions of the discipline, among which is the construction of a global history of education. While this orientation is highly characteristic of the contemporary scholarly landscape, it is deeply rooted in the thought of the classical authors.
Furthermore, the postcolonial dimension of education, when examined through a comparative lens, can generate significant methodological and epistemological reflections, addressing both substantive content and critical analysis of the phenomenon itself.
This call invites contributions that clarify the historical-educational-comparative field from an epistemological standpoint, through methodological approaches, and with particular attention to key and significant contents. Contributions addressing comparative education from both theoretical and institutional perspectives are also welcome, adopting a transnational approach within European and extra-European contexts.
Selected References
Barbieri, N.S., Gaudio A., Zago G. (eds.) (2016). Manuale di educazione comparata. Insegnare in Europa e nel mondo. Brescia: La Scuola.
Bray M., Adamson B., M. Mason (2009). Educazione comparara. Approcci e metodi di ricerca. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
Callegari C., Gaudio A. (eds.) (2018). Current questions and perspectives in comparative education/Problemi e prospettive dell’educazione comparata oggi, «Rivista di storia dell’educazione» 5(2): 7-13.
Callegari C. (2016). L’educazione comparata tra storia ed etnografia, Roma: Anicia.
Callegari C., G. Zago (a cura di) (2025). La storiografia educativa in Italia. Studium: Roma.
Callegari C., Caroli D., DOSSIER Istituzioni di pedagogia slava, «Nuova Secondaria Ricerca», 2 ottobre 2025, Venezia: Studium La Scuola, pp. 128–202.
Caroli D. (2014). La storia comparata dell’educazione tra dimensione transnazionale e transfert culturale = The comparative history of education between transnational dimension and cultural transfer, «Pedagogia Oggi», 22: 202–208: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siped/article/view/7454
Caroli D. (2019). Day Nurseries in Europe in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: The Challenge of the Transnational Approach. In E. Fuchs and E. Roldán Vera (eds.). The Transnational in the history of Education. Concepts and perspectives (pp. 69-100). London: Palgrave.
Caruso M. (2019). The History of Transnational and comparative education. In J. Rury, E. H. Tamura (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of The History of Education (pp. 568–587). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cowen R., Comparative education: and now? (2023). «Comparative Education», 59, 3, pp. 326-340. See the monographic issue directed by R. Cowen:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03050068.2023.2240207#abstract
Cowen R., Kazamias A. (eds.) (2009). International Handbook for comparative education. Springer: Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York.
Dynamis, numero monografico Le scuole degli altri, n. 5 dicembre 2023.
Dynamis, numero monografico Le scuole degli altri, n. 7 novembre 2024.
Gallo L. (2018). Itinerari di ricerca della comparazione. Pregedit: Bari.
Nóvoa A., & Yariv-Mashal T. (2010). Comparative research in education: A mode of governance or a historical journey?, «Comparative Research Education» 39/4: 423–438.
Palomba, D. (2011). Gli studi comparative in educazione. Una introduzione storico-critica, «Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS)» 4: 29-45: https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/ECPS-Journal/article/view/484/470
Popkewitz T. (2013). Styles of Reason: Historicism, Historicizing, and the History of Education. In T. Popkewitz (ed).Rethinking the History of Education. Transnational Perspectives on Its Questions, Methods, and Knowledge (pp. 1–26). New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Roldan Vera Eugenia e Fuchs Eckhardt (edd.) (2019). The Transnational in the history of Education. Palgrave: London.
Submission Schedule and Guidelines
Authors are invited to submit an abstract of their proposed contribution by 28 March 2026.
Abstracts should be sent to the following addresses: carla.callegari@unipd.it, dorena.caroli@unibo.it and redazione@rivistadistoriadelleducazione.it
Abstracts (500-800 words), written in both Italian and English, must include 3-5 keywords and a bibliography of no more than 10 titles.
Submissions must be accompanied by a brief biographical note (approximately 75 words).
Authors will be informed of the outcome of the selection process by 20 April 2026. All proposals will be assessed by the guest editors in consultation with the journal’s editorial board.
Selected authors are required to submit the full manuscript by 26 November 2026 through the RSE online submission platform:
https://rivistadistoriadelleducazione.it/index.php/rse/about/submissions
(Authors who have not previously registered with the platform must do so before submitting.)
Manuscripts must not exceed 45.000 characters (including spaces, footnotes, and bibliography) and must comply fully with the journal’s editorial policies. Contributions must be prepared using the official TEMPLATE, which is available at: https://rivistadistoriadelleducazione.it/index.php/rse/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/245
Please note that images may be included only when strictly necessary to the argument of the article and will be reproduced in black and white. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any copyrighted material. Written authorization from the copyright holder must be uploaded to the submission platform at the time of the initial submission.
For further information, please contact the Guest Editors: carla.callegari@unipd.it; dorena.caroli@unibo.it
