Abstract Submission

Abstract submission is OPEN.

We invite contributions that use Bourdieusian perspectives to rethink the intersections of class, race, and gender in contemporary contexts, both in the UK and internationally. We particularly welcome work that situates these dynamics within urban contexts, regional inequalities, and post-industrial transformations, reflecting Manchester’s own social and educational landscape. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 13 November 2026.

Conference Themes

We invite papers that align with, but are not limited to, the following themes:

Intersections of class, race, and gender in early years, schooling, higher education, and lifelong learning
Urban and regional inequalities in education, including place-based disadvantage
Social reproduction and its discontents: continuity, disruption, and transformation
Habitus, identity, dispositions, and belonging in different spaces, including, but not limited to, education and life course
Forms of capital (economic, cultural, social, symbolic, emotional) and their distribution
Institutional fields of education: policy, governance, and power
Race, coloniality, and decolonising education through a Bourdieusian lens, including North–South Global dialogues and the circulation of concepts across educational fields.
Gendered practices and inequalities in education
Student experience, aspiration, and mobility
Methodological innovations in Bourdieusian research
Digital education, platforms, and emerging fields
Resistance, agency, and transformation in educational contexts

We particularly encourage submissions that take Bourdieusian theory in new directions, including intersectional, postcolonial, feminist, and critical race approaches.

The conference includes two main types of submissions: Individual Papers and Special Events (Symposia).

Individual Papers ˅

Individual Paper presentations last 15-20 minutes, plus 5-10 minutes for questions. They will be scheduled in 90-minute sessions, which include 3 or 4 papers on similar themes. The submission consists of an abstract of 300 words (incl. references), clearly indicating the object of inquiry, the methodology of the study, the expected outcomes and its relevance for the topic of the conference. The title, the name and the affiliation of the authors, as well as 3 keywords, must also be provided. Abstracts will be reviewed and selected for presentation by the scientific committee of the conference and must be submitted online to the submission platform.

Special Event (Symposia) ˅

Special Event (Symposia) consist of 90-minute conference sessions organised by the submitters. They include a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 papers per session plus a discussant. The symposia need to be handed in as one submission with a description of the symposia (up to 300 words, incl. references) and abstracts for all papers linked to it (300 words abstract per paper, incl. references). You will also be asked to state 3 keywords and list presenting authors and co-authors with email addresses and affiliations. A chairperson and a discussant, who can offer a critique of the symposium, need to be named on the proposal. Symposia will be reviewed and selected for presentation by the scientific committee of the conference and must be submitted online to the submission platform.

Key Dates

Abstract submission deadline: Friday, 13 November 2026
Abstracts notification: Monday, 11 January 2027
Presenter booking deadline: Friday, 5 February 2027
Initial Programme sent to participants: Friday, 5 March 2027
Final Programme sent to participants: Friday, 21 May 2027
Registration deadline: Friday, 30 April 2027
Conference: 9-11 June 2027

Contact Information

BSA Events Team
Tel: 0191 383 0839