In an era marked by rapid changes in information technology, shifting political ideologies, and growing debates over the nature of truth, next year’s conference seeks to unpack how “facts” and “knowledge” are produced, understood, and contested across educational landscapes. For our February 2026 conference, the Ethnography Forum therefore invites submissions that explore the complex intersections of knowledge, truth, and education through the lens of ethnography and practitioner inquiry.
Although we welcome all papers dedicated to ethnographic and practitioner inquiry, we are particularly interested in encouraging submissions that critically examine foundational epistemological and ontological questions about ethnographic practice: How do we define knowledge in ethnographic work? What assumptions do we carry about the truth our research aims to reveal? We also welcome submissions that reflect on the broader processes of knowledge production both within the academy, and also within schools and other educational spaces. How do “facts” take shape in classrooms, in curricula, or in teacher training, and what do these processes tell us about the values embedded within education?
Additionally, we seek papers that investigate how facts are constructed and challenged in today’s global media-scape, where social media, journalism, and online political platforms increasingly influence what students, educators, and the public understand as “true.” How are facts selectively framed, distributed, or distorted in the current information economy, and what role does/might education play in either reinforcing or challenging these narratives?
We further encourage contributions that push the boundaries of conventional ethnography, practitioner inquiry and qualitative methodologies, as well as those that explore innovative frameworks for understanding the production of knowledge in precarious times. Join us as we engage with these vital questions and seek to foster a deeper understanding of the role education plays in shaping the knowledge and beliefs that define our world.
We look forward to your contributions to this critical and timely dialogue. We will be accepting papers from April 15 to June 1, 2025 for the conference which will run in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in February 2026.
The conference will be hosted by the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education
3700 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
