Special Issue [SI_TGEO] Call for Papers: 
Teaching Geography for a World in Transition - Powerful Teaching in Uncertain Times

The European Journal of Geography (EJG) invites submissions for a Special Issue on Teaching Geography for a World in Transition. This Special Issue is directly inspired by the theme of the 2026 EUROGEO Conference — Geographies in Flux: Navigating a Shifting World Order — which will take place in Tilburg, The Netherlands, from 21 to 22 May 2026. In an age of geopolitical realignment, environmental tipping points, spatial inequalities, and digital disruption, geography education is more vital than ever. As the world becomes increasingly uncertain, fragmented, and contested, learners need tools to understand these transitions and reflect on their own positioning within them. This Special Issue explores how geography educators can empower students to navigate complex societal changes by engaging with powerful geographical knowledge, spatial thinking, and critical and future-oriented pedagogies. It invites contributions that address how geography education can respond to the challenges of deglobalisation, multipolarity, postcolonial critique, controversial topics, and the rise of AI in educational contexts.

Submissions may, but do not have to, build on work presented at the 2026 EUROGEO Conference. Authors of accepted articles will be invited to register and present their work in a Special Session at the Conference (More details will be announced after February 2026).

For any questions regarding this Special Issue, please contact: sec@eurogeojournal.eu

Themes and Topics of Interest:

We welcome conceptual, empirical, and practice-oriented contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following:

• Teaching controversial and polarising issues in geography: e.g. climate justice, war, migration, nationalism, digital surveillance
• Reframing globalisation and deglobalisation: teaching a multipolar and fragmented world
• Decolonising geography education: interrogating dominant narratives and integrating diverse ways of knowing
• Addressing spatial inequality and belonging: linking local and global geographies of exclusion and privilege
• Navigating epistemic uncertainty and complexity: how geography helps students engage with knowledge claims and addressing mis- and disinformation of complex socio-scientific issues
• Pedagogies for complexity: dialogic, inquiry-based, speculative, narrative and place-based approaches
• Digital geographies and digital pedagogies: how digitalisation reshapes the content and form of geography education
• The transformative potential and limitations of digital tools and AI in geography teaching
• Teacher agency and curriculum decision-making in times of uncertainty
• The role of powerful geographical knowledge in supporting critical citizenship and resilience

Guest Editors:

1. Dr. Neli Heidari, University of Hamburg, Germany, neli.heidari@uni-hamburg.de  
2. Dr. Uwe Krause, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands, u.krause@fontys.nl  
3. Dr. Susan Caldis, Macquarie University, Australia, susan.caldis@mq.edu.au
4. Prof. dr. Tine Beneker, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, t.beneker@uu.nl

EJG Editor:

1. Dr. Alexandros Bartzokas-Tsiompras, National Technical University of Athens, Greece, abartzok@mail.ntua.gr

Timeline:

• Full paper submission deadline: 31 December 2025
• Paper publication window: January - May 2026
• Completion of the Special Issue: May 2026

Submission Process:

Manuscripts should follow the EJG author guidelines and be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. When choosing Manuscript “Article Type” during the submission procedure, click [SI_TGEO], otherwise your submission will be handled as a regular manuscript. In your cover letter, please clearly indicate that your submission is intended for the special issue "Teaching Geography for a World in Transition: Powerful Teaching in Uncertain Times". Authors must also confirm in the cover letter that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. In addition, please suggest at least five potential expert reviewers who meet the criteria outlined here.

This special issue welcomes a range of original article types (review or research articles), from shorter contributions (around 2,000 words; which may only cover the specific formats outlined here) to more extensive ones (5,000–10,000 words), depending on the nature and depth of the work.

We particularly invite contributions that fulfill at least one of the following criteria:

• Pose a New Question
• Present a New Method
• Employ New Data
• Discover a New Finding
• Or combine several of the above

All articles must include sufficient detail to ensure scientific quality and replicability, with at least the following sections: Introduction, Methodology & Materials (methodologically sound and replicable), Results, and Discussion. Authors may provide relevant supplementary material, which will be published alongside the main article.

About the European Journal of Geography (EJG):

The EJG is a peer-reviewed open-access journal published quarterly by the European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO). It seeks to promote high-quality research and innovative practices in the field of geography with a European perspective and beyond.