A Time for Education? Temporality and Education
An online colloquium for doctoral and early career researchers organized by the International Network of Philosophers of Education, which will be held on Friday 17 October 2025 to explore issues of time and education.
Theme
There is no more subtly radical question in (the philosophy of) education than that of time. Time is often treated as a given – a schedule, a semester, a deadline – but it's anything but a given. Time in education can be understood in the spirit of scholé, the ancient Greek notion of “free time”: a deliberate pause from the demands of daily life that opens up space for thought, dialogue, and transformation. This kind of temporal freedom, as Masschelein and Simons (2010, p. 551) suggest, creates the conditions for “a new beginning,” for forming new, perhaps more attentive, relations with the world. Yet one might argue that such a time is increasingly difficult—perhaps even impossible—to fully access. As Todd (2023) points out, time is never abstract or disembodied; it is always lived, felt, and entangled with the material textures of our day-to-day existence. This difficulty is amplified in the current moment, shaped by an ecological crisis, social fragmentation, health pandemics, and technological acceleration, where time often feels sped up, disjointed, or stolen.
Education plays a distinctive role. It is called upon to prepare for “the” future, despite the uncertainty and precariousness surrounding it. It carries the weight of the past – in traditions, knowledge, and institutions – but must also respond to unprecedented situations. Above all, time does not belong solely to human beings. Climate change reminds us that pasts, presents, and futures are always already entangled with other species, ecosystems, and geological forces.
What if education was not merely about passing on knowledge from one generation to another, but also about about making—and taking—time together, with others, human and non-human? In a world marked by social and ecological injustices, this could mean slowing down, attending to our interdependencies, and creating spaces for more just and caring ways of life to take root. Making and taking time then becomes an ethical practice that acknowledges the “response-abilities” (Haraway, 2008) humans hold across species, generations, and worlds.
Several questions arise in this context, including:
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As philosophers of education, what do we owe to peoples of the past and the future? We invite explorations of intergenerational issues in education.
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In our current moment of upheavals (political, planetary, and more), are we to prioritize preservation or progress? Or both? Are the two mutually exclusive?
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What can philosophers of education offer to the concept of pace? Should slowness be celebrated? Efficiency? Immediacy and speed?
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How ought temporal imaginaries or the stories we tell about time be attended to in philosophies of education?
Submission & Details
Papers (15-20 mins each) will take the form of work-in-progress presentations, with an emphasis on collegial feedback and conversation.
While this event is hosted by INPE, presentations will address the colloquium theme from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and approaches.
The colloquium is free of charge.
Delegates will receive a certificate of participation for their attendance.
Abstract submissions (200 words) should be sent by Monday 23 June 2025 to inpe.org@gmail.com. All inquiries should also be sent to this address.
Colloquium website
