Special issue of the Nordic Journal of Educational History; Badegül Eren-Aydınlık, Charlott Wikström, and Emma Vikström, Umeå Univ. (Web)

Proposals by: 30.09.2025

Since the 1800s, print media has been an important vehicle for disseminating knowledge and promoting civic engagement. This special issue examines the role of magazines, journals, and books that have served as educational platforms. These publications, often curated by educators, not only gave voice to marginalised groups across social classes but also challenged dominant gender norms and power relations.
Rather than focusing on traditional educational institutions such as girls‘ and boys‘ schools, teacher training programmes, or women’s entry into higher education (Nygaard & de Coninck-Smith, 2024; Carter, 2023; Martin, 2022; Marklund, 2021; Albisetti, Goodman & Rogers, 2010), this special issue centres on how gender and education was constructed and negotiated in the public eye in various international contexts. The growing research field on education in print has opened new perspectives from both educational history and gender history (Eren-Aydınlık, 2025; Rodriguez, 2025; Wikström, 2025; Sanz Simón & Ramos Zamora, 2023; Baker & Chung, 2020; Rosoff & Spencer, 2019; Kolaric, 2017). By stepping beyond the boundaries of formal schooling, these approaches offer broader insights into how various media shaped public knowledge and contributed to educational processes.
For this special issue, we invite papers that explore the mid-nineteenth to twentieth centuries as a period of increased participation of educators in public debates, and a growing awareness of political and social norms regarding gender. Submissions should focus on the intersections of gender and education in print media. Drawing on the metaphor of ‚printscapes‘ (Noonan, 2020), we are interested in the dimensions of place and movement in print, and how transnational and comparative perspectives can enrich our understanding of educational history. Our intention is to spark dialogue about the theoretical, empirical, and methodological challenges and opportunities that arise when engaging with transnational histories of gender and education in print. The special issue will thus contribute to the intersecting fields of print history, gender history, and the history of education.

Although the Nordic Journal of Educational History focuses primarily on Northern Europe, this special issue welcomes contributions from all geographical contexts. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
– Representations and constructions of gender and education in print media
– Gendered silences, censorship and editorial conventions of educational print
– Transnational printscapes examining the place and movement of gender and education
– Microhistories and print history from below
– Theories and methodologies exploring gender and education in print

Timeframe and submission of abstracts
– 30 September 2025: Submission of abstracts (500 words, including key references) to Charlott Wikström (charlott.wikstrom@umu.se). Please provide the title of the paper, names, affiliations and email addresses of authors and 3-5 keywords. The abstract should indicate how the article will address key themes of the call, theoretical and methodological perspectives, source material and preliminary results and conclusions.
– October 2025: Decision on which abstracts will be invited to submit a full paper.
– 15 May 2026: Submission of full papers for external review (8,000-10,000 words, including footnotes and concluding reference list).

Contact Information: Charlott Wikström, Postdoctoral fellow at Department of Education
Umeå Univ., Sweden: charlott.wikstrom@umu.se

Source: H-Net Notifications