Conference Program

We live in a world of polycrisis, in an age of catastrophes, in a habitat suffering the negative effects of our modes of production. We move within a framework of geopolitical tensions that translate into wars and conflicts between competing imperialisms. The development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence is driven by a handful of tech companies that decisively shape the production and circulation of information and knowledge. Within this context, the democratic school, as an institutional configuration, is under attack. Is this an irreversible crisis? A dream that has run its course? Should we resign ourselves to a post-democratic scenario dominated by force and economic interests? This keynote argues instead that the democratic school project requires an update, a new overall vision: the socio-ecological perspective. From a socio-ecological standpoint, the school is called upon to reimagine itself as an open relational ecosystem, in which learning, territories, communities and natural environments co-evolve. The presentation explores the potential of the socio-ecological approach in fostering an inclusive, situated and generative school, capable of forming critical and responsible subjects in the face of the challenges of the present and the future.