This international seminar explores the relationships between colonial legacies, educational systems, and decolonial pedagogies in a global context. Designed as an interdisciplinary space for exchange between contemporary history and intercultural pedagogy, it combines a Public History workshop and an academic symposium devoted to research and debate on decolonizing education. Organized by Roma Tre University in collaboration with the Universities of Geneva and Coimbra, the event is held on the occasion of UNESCO’s 80th anniversary, under the patronage of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO.

Presentation

This international seminar examines the intersections between colonial legacies, educational systems, and decolonial pedagogies within a global framework. Interdisciplinary by design, it fosters dialogue between contemporary history and intercultural pedagogy.

The programme consists of two sessions: a Public History workshop inviting students to critically engage with archival footage and postcolonial literary texts, and an academic symposium dedicated to research presentations and scholarly debate on decolonizing education.

Through images, testimonies, and critical conversations, the seminar asks: What does it mean to teach and learn beyond imperial legacies, and how might we imagine education otherwise?

The event is organized by Roma Tre University, in collaboration with the University of Geneva and the University of Coimbra, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the foundation of UNESCO, under the patronage of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO.

Programme

Department of education, Roma tre University

Aula Volpi | Free Access | Via del Castro Pretorio 20, Rome

November 18, 2025 

3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Session 1 – Public History Workshop Colonial Films: Moving Images of the Empires. Reading Voices: Testimonies from Postcolonial Literature

Screening and group discussion of selected footage from colonial audiovisual archives, followed by readings from postcolonial literature and an open public dialogue. The session will feature critical reflections by students from the Contemporary History and History of Europe courses.

3:45 PM – 6:00 PM

Session 2 – International Symposium | Global Education After Empire

3:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Panel 1 – Historical Perspectives

• 3:45 – 4:15 PM – Opening address (30 min) Juliet Thondhlana, UNESCO Chair in International Education and Development, University of Nottingham From Colonial Legacies to Glocal Futures: Decolonising Education for Global Citizenship
• 4:15 – 4:35 PM – Elisa Prosperetti, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) Race, Colonial Education, and Anticolonial Action
• 4:35 – 4:55 PM – Hugo Gonçalves Dores, University of Coimbra A Challenging Partnership: UNESCO’s Efforts to Collaborate with Empires on Education in Late-Colonial Africa (c. 1940–1950s)
• 4:55 – 5:10 PM – Ellen Vea Rosnes, VID Specialized University, Stavanger UNESCO’s Role in the Promotion of Citizenship Education in Newly Independent Mauritius and Madagascar during the 1960s
• 5:10 – 5:15 PM – Discussant: Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo, University of Coimbra

5:15 PM – 6:00 PM

Panel 2 – Intercultural Pedagogy and Educational Practices

• 5:15 – 5:35 PM – Veronica Riccardi, Roma Tre University Human Rights in Motion: Exploring the Pedagogical Legacy of Ettore Gelpi
• 5:35 – 5:55 PM – Lavinia Bianchi, Roma Tre University A Decolonial Reading of Inclusive Practices and Academic Positioning: Autoethnography, Tokenism, and Resistance in Education
• 5:55 – 6:00 PM – Concluding Remarks: Damiano Matasci, University of Geneva Decolonizing Education: Three Short Historical Reflections

Chair: Marialuisa Sergio – Roma Tre University

Sessions coordinated by: Camille Chenaux – IES Abroad

Attendance

In-person and online attendance

Connection link: https://bit.ly/DECOL-EDU