1. Call for papers

1.1. Centenary

The centenary of Ivan Illich’s birth (1926–2002) offers an opportunity to revisit his thought by adopting a systems approach and identifying constructs that are useful for interpreting, within a critical pedagogy, educational and formative realities and problematics in today’s world.

Illich is not only the advocate of the deschooling of society (Illich, 1971); he is also an intellectual who, from an interdisciplinary perspective, engages with education, history, philosophy, gender, the environment, medicine, work, and so forth, and—by interconnecting these domains—reflects on the prospects of the person, on action in and for the social realm, and on the possibilities for humanity’s future within a “multidimensional balance” (Illich, 1973).

His writings reveal an intellectual and educational theorist who is an attentive precursor and exposer of what are now contemporary problems concerning the possibilities for the development of the human condition, sometimes expressed in a provocative manner. Yet any provocation is by no means an end in itself, nor superficial; rather, it discloses an observation and a depth of thought that is never predictable.

The critical analysis he develops of the institutional forms through which society is expressed today encourages scholars and practitioners to reclaim critical thinking in order to understand how to safeguard ethically the spaces and contexts that foster human emancipation, rather than the person’s becoming an instrument of other logics and powers. Likewise, his range across multiple themes and problems (Illich, 1992) prompts today’s intellectuals to reflect on the value of cultivating broad, unconventional perspectives—not in the sense of conformist views, or views planned in advance under the conviction that it is impossible to depart from them. His principle of deschooling and de-institutionalising society is, in fact, a critique of institutions and “experts” that turn into self-standing apparatuses and lead to dehumanisation and the loss of human creativity (Illich et al., 1977).

Re-examining Illich’s proposals—even, in some cases, in order to depart from his vision and convictions—nevertheless encourages a reconsideration of them, while adopting at the same time a method that goes beyond the hypocrisy of a superficial pedagogical-institutional common sense and brings to light hidden “pedagogical” realities, as well as toxic or fruitful connections that merit attention, so as to undertake a new, sustainable educational design in relation to the future of the world and of the human being who is part of it (Illich, 2004).

1.2. Topics covered

The aim of the call is to offer a fruitful critical reappraisal of Ivan Illich’s thought in relation to current pedagogical themes, problems, and needs.

1.2.1. Education and schooling

• The meaning of the school institution today. The meaning of deschooling today (Illich, 1971)
• Pedagogy and contemporary crises (Illich, 1971)
• Educational and training policies (Illich et al., 1977)

1.2.2. Social structure and labour

• Human condition, market, wealth, and “modernised poverty” (Illich, 1978a)
• Pedagogy of work between market laws and the right to employment (Illich et al., 1977)
• Modernity and the becoming of the human being

1.2.3. Forms of life and institutional limits

• Convivial sharing and human autonomy today: towards non-standardised coexistence and wellbeing (Illich, 1973; 1975)
• Care, medicine, and human autonomy (Illich, 1975)
• The needs of the person and of society today: a pedagogical interpretation (Illich, 1978b)
• Human condition, “gender and sex” (Illich, 1982)

1.2.4. Planetary and embodied conditions

• Sustainability and education between growth and degrowth (Illich, 1978a)
• Environment, degradation, and the human future (Illich, 1978b)
• An ecology of perception and the senses: education for survival in an artificial world (Illich, 2004)

All contributions of pedagogical relevance within the sciences of education and training are welcome, as are contributions from related disciplines such as demo-ethno-anthropology, philosophy, history, psychology, and philological-literary disciplines. Empirical, theoretical, and conceptual contributions are expected, aimed at enriching the current scientific literature on the themes addressed in this call for papers.

2. Submission policy

2.1. Timeline

Full manuscripts must be submitted by 30 June 2026. The publication window closes on 4 September 2026. Any extensions will be announced through updates to this call. The Editorial Office undertakes to process articles within the timelines indicated at the end of the description of the review process. The organising committee (the Authors of this call), together with the Editorial Office, reserves the right to close the call early if, before the deadline, a critical mass of submissions is reached that have passed peer review and makes it possible to complete the issue. Submissions not selected by the guest editors or submitted to the Editorial Office after the deadlines may be considered for a regular issue.

For further information on the review process: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/review_policies_and_regulations

2.2. Type and format of submissions

• The types of submission accepted by Formazione & insegnamento are described at the following link: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/paper_types
• Please note the required length of the main text (i.e., excluding title page, abstract, keywords, and references): 3,500–6,000 words.
• Submissions must report original research and must not contain plagiarism or copyright infringements.
  • For details on copyright and licensing: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/copyright-and-licensing
  • Journal ethical code: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/ethical_statement
  • AI policy: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/ethical_statement (at the bottom)
• Formazione & insegnamento publishes in English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Given the recent reintroduction of French, francophone authors are kindly asked for patience, as the French-language interface of the website is still under development. An option to submit manuscripts in French is nevertheless available in the submission system.
• Please submit manuscripts in the original language in which they were written.
• Manuscripts must be prepared in APA 7, complying not only with the referencing style but also with line spacing and page layout. In particular, please note that:
  • Footnotes may not be used for bibliographic purposes.
  • In any case, the use of footnotes is strongly discouraged, as it does not fit well with the layout of the PDF page.
  • In brief, APA 7 requires A4 pages with one-inch margins, Roman script, left alignment, double (or 1.5) line spacing, indentation for quotations, and no special cosmetic formatting (in practice, the document will resemble a typewritten page, at around 350 words per page).
  • The use of a reference manager (Zotero or any other reference manager integrated into word-processing software) is recommended. If you use one, however, please ensure that you remove the citation fields by using the “unlink citations” command before submission.
  • For further details, please refer to: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/ethical_statement (and the links provided there).

2.3. Peer-review process

Publication in the special issue follows the journal’s standard peer-review procedures, which include:

• Double-blind review
• External, independent reviewers with no conflicts of interest with the Authors
• Qualified reviewers (holders of a PhD or with high-level qualifications, assessed by the Editorial Office through review of the CV)
• Use of the PKP OJS submission and editorial management system

The preliminary editorial screening (desk review) aims to assess whether the submission meets the minimum presentation requirements for consideration. For further information on why submissions are rejected at the preliminary assessment stage: https://ojs.pensamultimedia.it/index.php/siref/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/91

2.4. The role of the guest editors

The guest editors support the Editorial Office in the following stages:

• Preliminary assessment of submissions (to verify alignment with the content of the call)
• Formulating recommendations for the selection of external reviewers
• Formulating a final recommendation after considering the external reviewers’ reports
• Drafting the editorial
• Dissemination and promotion of the call
• Communication with Authors

2.5. Discrepancies

In the event of discrepancies between this text and the journal’s policies, the latter shall prevail.

References