"…we are doubtless far from realizing the potential capacity of education as a constructive agency of improving society", John Dewey wrote in Democracy and Education (1916). 

Celebrating the centennial of Dewey’s classic, we hereby invite scholars to meet and debate the status of pragmatism today and how pragmatism has influenced and still influences educational theory and practice. One issue is whether a pragmatic approach to education has contributed to the improvement of society, and whether a pragmatic approach to cognition and society has contributed to the improvement of education.

We have invited world-leading researchers – approaching pragmatism from areas such as cognition, education and society – as key note speakers; and the conference will bring together researchers and educators who are engaged in a variety of approaches to pragmatism. Thus, the conference aims at creating an ideal setting for the exchange of ideas and research proposals.

Following the democratic tradition of dialogue, we are planning an inspirational programme which will allow participants the space to exchange, discuss and share ideas, to raise agendas, and to create networks for further research.

In order to create a progressive flow, the conference will be organised in the following elements:

1. Debate among key note speakers, where they will present and discuss their views on pragmatism today and debate the role of education in improving society.  
2. Key note presentations, during which the key note speakers will present their own research.
3. Paper presentations, with a selection of submitted papers being presented and debated.
4. Presentation of research, allowing participants to present in short form what they are working on, and their plans for further research.
5. Debate between key note speakers and invited researchers.

Conference proceedings

We plan to publish the best conference contributions in an anthology, or a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal 

Invited speakers

• Mark Johnson (University of Oregon)
• Norbert Wiley (University of Illinois)
• Andrea R. English (University of Edinburgh)

See their abstracts here