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The 8th Conference of the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (IAACS), titled Curriculum Studies in the Post/Anthropocene, took place from June 24 to 27, 2025, at the Institute of Education of Mauritius.

Researcher Elsa Estrela, a member of the association, participated in the conference with the presentation Towards a democratic curriculum: the narrative paradigm to achieve a state of viscosity. Her presentation sparked a highly relevant discussion, encouraging the exchange and sharing of perspectives and approaches, as well as the national integration of the curricular concepts discussed.

Held every three years, this conference aimed to address the evolving intersections of curriculum theory and the complex challenges posed by the Anthropocene and beyond. In this context, it explored the implications of these developments for curriculum studies, engaging with contemporary theories in fields such as new materialisms, feminist materialisms, speculative realism, object-oriented ontologies, and agential realism.

The themes addressed in the parallel sessions and thematic panels included: Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Curriculum; Posthumanist Theories and Materialism; Sustainability, Social Justice and Planetary Challenges; Decoloniality and Cultural Narratives; and Methodologies and “complicated conversations”. The conference also featured three keynote lectures by highly relevant scholars in the field:

• Lesley Le Grange, from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, questioned the 50 years of the concept currere and proposed rethinking it within the posthuman framework, challenging traditional subjectivity through the lens of posthumanist theories and the “thick now”.
• Bill Green, Emeritus Professor at Charles Sturt University, explored the tensions between national and post-national curricula, reflecting on decolonization and epistemic justice in different contexts.
• João M. Paraskeva, from the University of Strathclyde, presented the concept of Itinerant Curriculum Theory, advocating for epistemological freedom and curricular autonomy.

The conference reinforced the urgency of rethinking the curriculum in a world marked by multiple crises—environmental, technological, and social—defending interdisciplinary, critical, and open approaches. The emerging curriculum is not merely a teaching tool but a co-creator of sustainable, pluralistic, and inclusive futures—navigating between humanisms, technologies, and living ecologies.

The book Uma Vida por Escrito (Vol. 1 – Publications in the National Plan) is now available. This facsimile edition brings together key texts by Ana Maria Bénard da Costa, a leading figure in the field of special education in Portugal.

The publication follows the release of Memórias de uma educação especial – do modelo médico à educação inclusiva, and compiles a selection of essential writings that shaped the author’s educational thinking and practice over recent decades. The book documents her work at institutions such as the Hellen Keller Centre, the Institute of Assistance to Minors (where she coordinated the Service for the Education of the Visually Impaired), and later her role at the Ministry of Education as Director of Special Education Services — a position in which she played a central role in shaping public policies for the inclusion of students with disabilities.

Published by Edições Universitárias Lusófonas (EUL), the book was edited by Isabel Amaral, Ana Maria Bénard da Costa, and Francisco Alberto Ramos Leitão, and represents a valuable contribution to the history of inclusive education in Portugal.

"This book is not just a documentary record, but a tribute to the coherence, vision, and lifelong commitment of Dr. Ana Maria Bénard da Costa to a more just and human education." – Francisco Ramos Leitão and Isabel Amaral

Read the ebook here. [Portuguese]

On July 1, 2025, the public defense of the PhD thesis in Education by Ana Sofia Clemente Gonçalves took place at the Agostinho da Silva Auditorium of the Universidade Lusófona.

Her thesis, titled:
 “Practices for an Inclusive Education – Learning Communities and Their Contribution to the School Success of All”, explores the role of learning communities in promoting inclusive practices and fostering academic success for all students.

The session was chaired by Professor António Teodoro (Universidade Lusófona) and the examination committee was composed of:

• Supervisor:
  
  • João Filipe de Lacerda Matos – Universidade Lusófona
• External Examiners:
  
  • Ana Sofia Martins Silva Freire dos Santos Raposo – University of Lisbon
  • Ana Isabel Ricardo Gonçalves Pedro – University of Lisbon
• Committee Members:
  
  • Margarida Maria Sales Henriques Belchior – Researcher at CeiED, Universidade Lusófona
  • Elsa Maria Bacala Estrela – Universidade Lusófona
  • Lucimar Almeida Dantas – Universidade Lusófona

The defense was held publicly and broadcast via Zoom, marked by a rigorous and enriching academic discussion.

The CeiED warmly congratulates the new PhD holder, Ana Sofia Clemente Gonçalves, for her valuable scientific contribution to the advancement of inclusive and transformative education.

Ana Paula Silva and Bento Cavadas, researchers at CeiED, represented the centre at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END) 2025, held from 28 to 30 June in Budapest, Hungary.

The Postdoc Survey Report, a study promoted by Eurodoc – The European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers – was published today. The report offers an in-depth analysis of the working conditions, career prospects, and work-life balance of postdoctoral researchers in Europe.

Filomena Parada, researcher at CeiED – the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development at Lusófona University – played a central role in this project. She coordinated the Eurodoc task force responsible for planning and conducting the analysis of the Postdoc Survey data, and for writing the report. As lead author, she was responsible for writing, reviewing, and editing all sections of the document, as well as leading the report’s conceptual development and execution.

In addition to authoring the report, Filomena Parada also contributed to the conceptualisation of the survey itself, participating in the initial design of its goals and methodology as a member of the Eurodoc Early Career Researchers Working Group (ECDWG).

The data, collected between 2018 and 2019 from more than 1,700 postdoctoral researchers across over 30 European countries, reveal a concerning picture of widespread precarity. The report highlights short-term and fragmented contracts, stipends without social protections, and mounting pressures for international mobility as common features of postdoctoral employment in Europe. These conditions undermine researchers’ wellbeing, career development, and the broader capacity of European science to innovate and respond to societal challenges.

Despite long-standing commitments by the European Commission to make research careers more attractive, the situation of postdocs remains precarious. The report calls for urgent policy changes, including tying European research funding to the provision of competitive, secure employment contracts.

Eurodoc emphasizes the need to formally recognise postdocs within institutions and legal frameworks and to systematically include this group in all monitoring mechanisms related to research and higher education employment conditions.

The full report is available here.

On June 24th, CeiED – the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development – welcomed a delegation from the Nanjing Normal University of Special Education (China). The delegation was composed of Professors Tan Zhong, Zhu Zhengdong, Ahnag Xiaojun, Eang Juan, Wang Peifeng, and Ahang Yanqiong.