Researchers, PhD candidates, educators, artists and practitioners have until 14 June 2026 to submit abstracts for the fourth edition of PEA – Pedagogy, Ecology and the Arts, the international conference that will take place in Merano (South Tyrol, Italy) from 10 to 12 September 2026. 

Hosted by the Academy of Italian-German Studies and the Centre for Culture, PEA is organised as an international and multilingual space for dialogue, bringing together researchers and practitioners interested in educational, ecological and artistic perspectives on contemporary social challenges. The conference will be held in English, German and Italian and is designed to foster exchange across disciplinary, cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Building on the trajectory of previous editions dedicated to polis, peace and power, the 2026 conference focuses on praxis, understood not simply as action but as a situated, reflective and transformative practice. Drawing on traditions ranging from Karl Marx’s reflections on social transformation to Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of conscientization, as well as contemporary feminist, decolonial and critical pedagogical perspectives, the conference explores how knowledge and action are intertwined in processes of social change.

Rather than treating praxis solely as an object of discussion, PEA 2026 also turns the question onto itself, asking whether a conference can move beyond the transmission of knowledge towards forms of collective elaboration, participation and co-creation. In this sense, participants are invited not only to reflect on practice, but also to contribute to shaping new ways of learning, organising and relating.

The conference is structured around three interconnected areas: pedagogy, with a focus on inclusive, empowering and developmental approaches to education; ecology, understood as a systemic perspective connecting experiences, lives and institutions; and the arts, as creative and qualitative modes of inquiry capable of generating new understandings of human experience.

Particular attention will be devoted to themes such as educational praxis, organisational processes, power relations, conflict transformation, embodied knowledge, artistic and creative practices, social justice, ecological transitions, and the impact of digital environments on participation and knowledge production. The conference welcomes contributions from the broad fields of pedagogy, education, training, community work and mediation, with special interest in case studies, action research, situated experiences and experimental formats that bridge theory and practice.

Alongside the open call, PEA 2026 will also feature invited thematic panels and research groups designed to promote collaborative inquiry and support the development of future publications and research networks.

The conference is organised by the Academy of Italian-German Studies, EUPHUR – Euregio Platform for Human Dignity and Human Rights, the Centre for Culture Meran-o and CRAT – Centre for Research in Arts and Theater, in collaboration with an international network of scholars and practitioners.

Further information on the Call for Proposals, submission guidelines and registration procedures is available on the conference website: https://www.peaconference.org/call.