Call for papers for the special issue "Culture and Education in University Contexts: Tensions, Transformations, and Emerging Challenges in Contemporary Higher Education"
Call for Papers
Emerging Trends in Education (ETiE)
Vol. 9 Issue 18, January–June2027
Culture and Education in University Contexts: Tensions, Transformations, and Emerging Challenges in Contemporary Higher Education
Presentation
The relationship between culture and education in the university sphere has become a key field of study for understanding contemporary dynamics in higher education. Universities, as spaces for production, transmission, and contesting of knowledge, operate simultaneously as educational institutions and as complex cultural environments, shaped by processes of technological transformation, epistemological tensions, and emerging social demands.
Recent literature shows a significant evolution in this field, moving from approaches centered on institutional culture and diversity toward more complex problematizations linked to digital transformation, the integration of artificial intelligence into educational processes, and the questioning of traditional knowledge production structures from critical and decolonial perspectives.
In this context, structural tensions are reconfiguring university practice: the relationship between modernization and local contexts, the gap between institutional discourse and effective policy implementation, the confrontation between globalized educational models and the pursuit of epistemic justice, as well as the ethical and cultural dilemmas arising from the use of emerging technologies.
Likewise, relevant research gaps persist, such as the scarcity of empirical studies in Global South contexts, the limited presence of longitudinal and comparative research, and the need to strengthen the critical evaluation of educational transformation processes, particularly in environments mediated by digital technologies.
In light of this landscape, Emerging Trends in Education (ETiE) invites the academic community to contribute works that analyze, from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives, the intersections between culture and education in university contexts, privileging critical, empirically grounded approaches with the potential to impact the transformation of higher education.
Thematic Areas
Submissions are invited on the following thematic areas:
1. Cultural Transformation in University Institutions
Studies on organizational change, institutional culture, leadership and governance in universities, as well as analyses of the relationship between institutional discourses and their implementation in practice.
2. University, Inequality, and Epistemic Justice
Works addressing higher education from critical, decolonial, or situated perspectives, with emphasis on diverse epistemologies, inclusion, equity, and Global South contexts.
3. Interculturality and Education in Globalized Contexts
Analysis of internalization processes, cultural diversity, intercultural skills, and tensions arising from the interaction between cultures in the university environment.
4. Academic Experiences and Cultural Practices in University Life
Studies on identity, belonging, academic trajectories, formative practices, and experiences of students and faculty in diverse educational contexts.
5. Comparative and Longitudinal Studies, and Emerging Methodological Approaches
Research incorporating comparative or longitudinal designs, or methodological innovations for analyzing cultural phenomena in higher education.
6. Digital Culture, Artificial Intelligence, and Higher Education
Research on the impact of digitalization and artificial intelligence on educational processes, including ethical, pedagogical, cultural, and technological governance aspects.
Important Dates
Submissions from May 20 to September 20, 2026
Issue Editor
Dra. Deneb Elí Magaña Medina
