November 3, 2025 1020 Views

CfP – Early childhood education between differences and convergences since the mid-20th century : towards a European model?

Michel Christian, Joëlle Droux, University of Geneva, Psychology and Educational Sciences Faculty, Social History of Education

Drawing on the already existing literature on comparative history of the European early childhood education systems, the envisioned volume will have two main objectives.

First, it will focus on the more recent period from the mid-twentieth century onward, which has until now received less attention among historians. Yet, it was a period of significant expansion and institutionalization of early childhood education, which had previously been a marginal phenomenon in the majority of the European societies. During this time boundaries of early childhood education were redefined to include new age groups, institutions and knowledge.

Second, this volume aims to address the question of a European model of early childhood education by describing both the differences, which have been often well studied, and the convergences, which have often been neglected. This requires the tools of both comparative and transnational history to be mobilized. The very notion of a “European model” of early childhood education also raises the question of which relationship it had with other regions, especially North America, and whether Europe has truly served as a “model” for other countries in the world especially in the “developing” countries.

The contributions proposed for this volume could be related to one of these three themes:

Opening the black box “nation” and reassessing infra-national diversity in the history of early childhood education in Europe since the mid-20th
European convergences in early childhood education since the mid 20th century and the role of the transnational circulations and spaces
Discussing the notion of a European model of early childhood education

Submission

Please send your proposal (around 700 words) by 1st December to michel.christian@unige.ch and joelle.droux@unige.ch.
We will review the proposals and give you a feedback by 1st March.
Papers should be sent by 15th September for a first review by the editors.

Download the full CfP

For further information, please follow this link: https://www.unige.ch/fapse/erhise/projets-fns/L-education-de-la-petite-enfance

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