Inclusive Diversity in European Education: From Policy Frameworks to Classroom Practices

Contemporary European societies are characterised by an unprecedented degree of diversity (linguistic, cultural, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic), challenging the foundations of traditional educational systems. The concept of superdiversity, which moves beyond binary majority–minority frameworks to account for the complex intersectionality of identities and trajectories, reflects the lived reality of classrooms, schools, and universities across the continent. However, educational policies and pedagogical practices have often lagged behind this transformation, generating tensions between normative aspirations for inclusion and the structural conditions shaping everyday educational contexts.

This thematic issue brings together interdisciplinary scholarship examining how educational systems across Europe and beyond are responding, or failing to respond, to the challenges and opportunities posed by diversity. Drawing on sociology, educational science, political science, and intercultural studies, the issue addresses four interconnected dimensions: the normative and policy frameworks governing diversity in education; the social implications of superdiversity for educational communities, particularly the tension between demands for equality and differentiation in everyday school situations; the pedagogical approaches, teacher education strategies, and curricular innovations aimed at fostering inclusive learning environments; and the perspectives of key actors, including students, educators, institutions, and civil society.

Finally, the issue aims to critically examine whether inclusion can be considered a new paradigm for understanding social cohesion, alongside established models such as multiculturalism and assimilationism, and their respective contributions to the educational field.

The issue welcomes original research, systematic reviews, and theoretically grounded contributions that engage with multiculturalism, intercultural education, diversity management, social cohesion, and inclusive educational practice in formal and non-formal settings across all educational levels. Comparative, cross-national, and transdisciplinary perspectives are particularly encouraged, as are contributions documenting good practices and innovative approaches.

By bringing these conversations into dialogue, this issue advances scholarly understanding and evidence-based policy reflection on one of the most pressing challenges facing European and global educational systems today.

Authors interested in submitting a paper for this issue are asked to consult the journal's instructions for authors and submit their abstracts (maximum of 250 words, with a tentative title) through the abstracts system (here). When submitting their abstracts, authors are also asked to confirm that they are aware that Social Inclusion is an open access journal with a publishing fee if the article is accepted for publication after peer-review (corresponding authors affiliated with our institutional members do not incur this fee).

Readers across the globe will be able to access, share, and download this issue entirely for free. Corresponding authors affiliated with any of our institutional members (over 100 institutions worldwide) publish free of charge. Otherwise, an article processing fee will be charged to the authors to cover editorial costs. We defend that authors should not have to personally pay this fee and encourage them to check with their institutions if funds are available to cover open access publication costs. Further information about the journal's open access charges can be found here.