Educational Commons. Democratic Values, Social Justice and Inclusion in Education

Abstract

The book presents the findings from the case studies developed during the research project SMOOTH Educational Spaces. Passing through Enclosures and Reversing Inequalities through Educational Commons, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme for the period 2021-2024. The overarching goal of the SMOOTH project was to comprehend, foster, and expedite the potential influence of education in addressing and reversing inequalities, especially those experienced by people (young and adults) belonging to vulnerable groups at risk, hence preventing and reducing social isolation, marginalisation, political frustration, fundamentalism and extremism, insecurity, and fear among these groups. This was achieved by introducing the emerging concept of the commons as an alternative framework of values and actions within preschools, schools, and after-school programs, focusing on the interactions among children and youth, as well as between children, youth, and adults within an utterly relational context. The project involved a partnership of 12 entities (11 universities and one museum) located in 8 European countries: Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden. Third Parties (schools, NGOs, local authorities) were also included as components of the research fieldwork, which explored the notion of educational commons from an empirical point of view through a variety of teams and partners with different backgrounds, experiences, methodological approaches, and diversity of settings, contexts, and participants.