About

Network 23: Social Pedagogy

The aim of the network is to develop and strengthen the cooperation between researchers and professional groups in the Nordic countries, engaged or interested in the field of social pedagogy. The network deals with questions concerning the theories of social pedagogy as well as questions arising from the wide range of practices in the fields of education and social work that can be approached from social pedagogical perspectives.

Social pedagogical research is based on a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches and it looks at a broad range of social and educational phenomena. The network will therefore form an important trans-disciplinary meeting place and a basis for cooperation between different national social pedagogical communities and between different research traditions in the Nordic countries.

Some examples of research topics within the field are: possibilities for supporting social integration or emancipation of different groups in the society (e.g. unemployed young people, immigrants, disabled people), different forms of preventive practices in social work (e.g. in school social work, foster care, elderly care), challenges for citizenship education in multicultural societies, different communities as spaces for social education etc.

Examples of questions that are dealt with in the discussions in the network:

• How can social pedagogical theory be conceptualised and developed?
• How can social pedagogical theory and its analytical approaches be used in diverse social, educational and societal contexts?
• How can social pedagogical theory and practice help to identify mechanisms and prevent risks for social exclusion on individual, group and societal levels?
• How can social pedagogical practices support social integration, inclusion and emancipation of vulnerable populations?

During NERA congresses, the network organizes paper sessions, which are open for presentations about social pedagogically interesting research and projects, as well as thematical symposia and roundtable discussions. The network is open for everyone interested in social pedagogical research in the Nordic context. The network has a Facebook group which anyone can join.