Educating In Turbulent Times: Inequality, Knowledge Justice, and Educational Futures In Global Sociology

In an era marked by political conflict, economic uncertainty, migration, climate crisis, digital transformation, and the rise of artificial intelligence, education systems are under increasing pressure to adapt, reform, and justify their social purposes. The session examines how education functions both as a site where inequalities are reproduced and as a space where resilience, social justice, and democratic futures may be imagined. It invites papers that explore how schools, universities, teachers, students, and policymakers respond to turbulent conditions across diverse national and regional contexts.Possible topics include educational inequality in times of crisis, migration and education, AI and digital learning, higher education under ranking and financial pressures, curriculum decolonization, Indigenous and local knowledge, teacher professionalism, and education for sustainability and social justice. The session especially welcomes contributions from the Global South, East Asia, Indigenous communities, migrant groups, and other marginalized perspectives.Key questions include: How do education systems redistribute opportunities and risks in uncertain times? Do global education reforms reduce or reinforce inequality? How do digital technologies reshape educational governance, participation, and exclusion? How can sociology of education challenge dominant knowledge hierarchies and build more inclusive global conversations? By bringing together theoretical, empirical, and comparative studies, this session aims to deepen scholarly dialogue on education’s public role in turbulent times and its potential to reimagine fairer and more democratic futures.