CfP: Call for papers for Per Aspera ad Astra 2026/1 – Social Spaces of Education and Science

2025-08-03

In the forthcoming thematic issue of ‘Per Aspera ad Astra, Publications on the Cultural and University History’ of the University of Pécs, the editors are inviting contributions that explore the concept of social space from historical and social science perspective, with particular emphasis on the realms of education, universities and knowledge.

 

Social space is not merely a geographical or physical dimension: it is a site of social relations, power structures, norms and cultural meanings that people not only use, but also shape. The interpretation of space as a social construction provides a fertile analytical framework for research in history, sociology, education and university history.

 

The aim of this issue is to bring together interdisciplinary research that contributes to the historical and social scientific understanding of space by examining spaces of knowledge, education and upbringing, as well as the spatial practices of institutions and the social relations connected to them. It explores how the spaces where knowledge, education, upbringing and scientific communities were constructed, functioned and transformed.

 

The editors of this issue are primarily seeking studies that analyse the intersections of social space and the institutional systems of education and universities – whether through the example of a specific historical period, a particular institution or a community.

 

Suggested topics:

  • Universities, schools and colleges as social spaces
  • The spatial dimensions of knowledge production, dissemination and acquisition
  • Historical changes in the spaces of learning and teaching (e.g. classrooms, boarding schools, dormitories, reading rooms)
  • The role of space in the social hierarchies of educational and scientific institutions
  • Space and power in educational institutions: discipline, control and visibility
  • The boundaries between public and private spaces in the world of education and science
  • The spatial representation of social differences (gender, class, religion, ethnicity) in educational institutions
  • The representations of university space: maps, plans, sections, literature and memoirs
  • Symbolic and mental spaces: memory, representation, mapping and mythology
  • Conflicts and alternative spaces in the history of student movements and reform initiatives

 

The deadline for submitting abstracts of 1500–2000 characters is 28 September 2025, and the papers to be published in the journal will be selected based on the abstracts submitted. Authors will be notified of acceptance by 10 October.

 

Deadline for submission of papers: 31 January 2026.

Anticipated date of publication: June 2026.

Contact: palmai.dora@lib.pte.hu