Polis

Polis is understood in a very broad sense: living together in a complex world and society where all differences can find a way to coexist, where there is conviviality, good politics and active citizenship, as well as personal and shared responsibility arising from concern for the common good. The idea of choosing polis as the focus for the first PEA - Pedagogy, Ecology and the Arts Conference in Merano (Italy) in September 2023 stems from the curators’ strong emphasis on the social dimension and their interest in a pedagogy that is convivial, collaborative and ecological in an intersubjective and political sense. Ecology and arts based research can provide a framework for individual and collective learning, with the aim of defining and constructing an inclusive and sustainable polis. The authors of the chapters are researchers and practitioners from all over Europe: Italy, Austria, Germany, Greece and Denmark. Each author has succeeded in combining either two or all three pillars of PEA, i.e., pedagogy, ecology and the arts, and the editors have structured the book around the three themes, highlighting the focus of each chapter. During the conference, the papers were presented in the form of keynote speeches, oral presentations and workshops, which have been adapted and compiled in this book. The final contributions were enriched by dialogues and exchange of ideas that took place during the conference. We hope that reading this book will allow readers to experience some of the convivial and interactive spirit that characterized the PEA conference.