Call for Abstracts: Indigenous and Western Epistemologies in History Education Tensions - Possibilities - Solutions ed. by Christoph Kühberger & Bongani Shabangu

You are cordially invited to submit abstracts of approximately 700 - 1000 words from various academic fields (History Education, History, Education/Pedagogy, Social Sciences, Indigenous Studies, Psychology, Philosophy etc.) engaging with history education.

Proposals should be submitted together with a brief biographical note and publication list by 31st of May 2026 to the editors via email:

• christoph.kuehberger@plus.ac 
• bongani.shabangu@nwu.ac.za

Abstracts from different regions and political contexts across the world focusing on the following themes or related topics are welcomed:

• To what extent do different solutions on Indigenous and Western epistemologies respond to the challenges and complexities involved? (i.e. integrating Indigenous and Western Epistemologies of the Past; acquisitioning different epistemic systems, acknowledging independent forms as legitimate systems of Indigenous knowledge etc.).
• What are the tensions that exist between disciplinary Western-framed history and Indigenous epistemologies in dealing with the past?
• In what ways can we/ not combine the two to make history education at schools more relevant for all? How should different epistemological systems be related to one another?
• How can epistemic pluralism in history education contribute to social justice?
• How to reach different ways of knowing in history education?
• How does the land or locality in which Indigenous knowledge is activated for classroom teaching influence the development of new solutions for dealing with the past?
• What significance does this discourse carry for countries that were entangled in a colonial world system, although no Indigenous populations were historically located within their territories? How should—or must—they respond to it in order to ensure a representation of the world in its full (epistemic) diversity?
• What responsibilities arise for countries in postcolonial contexts that formerly governed colonies, or that continue to maintain successor formations (“overseas territories”) in which such Indigenous epistemologies remain active and articulated?