Beyond the divide: educational and digital poverty as a fracture in contemporary democracies
Guest editors: Luca Lantero and Nicola Ferrigni
Deadline for abstract submission ( January 15, 2026 ) Deadline for article submission ( June 15, 2026 )
In recent years, public and scientific debate has strongly highlighted the increasingly close link between educational poverty and digital poverty, emphasising how unequal access to educational opportunities and technological tools not only creates skills gaps, but also new cultural and social vulnerabilities. These are issues that do not only concern schools or formal learning contexts, but also call into question the very functioning of communities, the role of institutions, and the processes of democratic participation and the exercise of citizenship.
These dynamics are part of a broader framework of change involving schools, universities, educational services, but also local areas, public policies and the information and digital ecosystem in which knowledge, skills and identities are produced today. The call therefore invites a broad and articulated reflection, functional both to the analysis of the phenomena of educational and digital poverty and to the more general issues that cut across contemporary educational processes: inclusion, equity, educational innovation, cultural mediation, new technologies, and social justice.
The aim is to gather contributions that, from different disciplinary perspectives, are able to question the changes taking place, bringing together theoretical studies, empirical research and professional or field experience.
Suggested topics
– Educational and digital poverty: definitions, interpretative models and analytical tools
– The digital divide and new forms of social, cultural and civic exclusion
– Pedagogical innovation and transformations in school, university and non-formal contexts
– Citizenship education and the development of critical and digital skills
– Analysis of legislative policies to combat educational and digital poverty: strategies, tools, critical issues and prospects
– The right to digital inclusion as a new frontier of social rights: constitutional, educational and territorial implications
– Educational and digital policies at national and European level
– Digital cultures, media literacy, algorithms and the impact of platforms on the formation of identities and knowledge
– Public policies and governance of education systems: models, territorial strategies, actors and decision-making processes
– Inclusive education and social justice: pedagogical, sociological, psychological and legal perspectives
– Migration processes, mobility, cultural differences and challenges of educational mediation
– Situations of educational vulnerability: minors, families, migrants, inland areas and fragile contexts
– Intersectionality of inequalities in learning pathways
– Experiences, projects and practices to combat educational and digital inequalities
– Educational technologies: accessibility, ethics, generative AI, learning environments and inclusive design
Abstract Rules:
An abstract in Italian and English (max 1,500 characters).
Six keywords in Italian and English.
A short biography of the author, including:
Name and surname.
Research interests (not publication titles).
Any university or institution of affiliation, with the role held
Deadline for abstract submission ( January 15, 2026 )
Deadline for article submission ( June 15, 2026 )
The text must be sent to the Editorial Staff exclusively in Word format (doc or docx), to the e-mail address:
redazione@rivistauniversitas.it.
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