IDI Research Seminar: Decolonising Refugee Students’ Education

Webinar recorded at Edge Hill University in December 2022. 

In the last few years, the discourse on migratory flows in Europe has been dominated by the idea of crisis, with more than 26 million refugees and asylum-seekers currently worldwide. In this webinar, Professor Dovigo will illustrate how this narrative preserves the Eurocentric imaginary that helps maintain exclusionary practices based on a neo-colonial approach to refugee education. I will begin by analysing the conceptual framework that underlies current discourses on refugees in Western countries. I then review evidence emerging from research on refugee education policies and practices, and the pivotal role of schools within this context. Finally, I will examine how a decolonizing approach to refugee education can help promote more equitable and inclusive education for all.

Programme: Introduction by Professor Peter Hick. Presentation by Professor Dovigo; Questions and Discussion.

Fabio Dovigo (PhD) is professor of Psychology of Education at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University (DK). His research interests are in the area of inclusive education and early childhood education and care. He is currently working on projects investigating early childhood systems quality and refugee education. His recent publications include Special Educational Needs and Inclusive Practices (Sense Publisher, 2016) and Challenges and Opportunities in Education for Refugees in Europe: From Research to Good Practices (Brill, 2018) and The border within:  Decolonising refugee students’ education (Elgar, 2022).