Resonance in Education? Rethinking Encounter, Attunement, and Transformation

In recent years, resonance has emerged as a compelling concept for educators to rethink how students encounter the world and how educators might cultivate transformative experiences. Hartmut Rosa’s theory of resonance has sparked much of this renewed interest. Essentially, Rosa asks us to consider the many different ways in which we establish relationship to the world; to deaccelerate and form a different sense of ‘quality of life’ in a world obsessed with growth and progress. Rosa’s work speaks to diverse efforts to wrestle education from marketised models and to re-centre teachers as bringing students in connection with the world, others, and themselves. But resonance is not a new concept. Many other traditions speak, implicitly or explicitly, in resonant terms: phenomenology, dialogical pedagogy, theology, continental philosophy, new materialism, sociology, and the theory of Bildung offer diverse accounts of attunement, responsiveness, and the event of the world’s address. We wish to maintain the plurality of this term in deliberation of its usefulness in and toward education. Also, applying the concept of resonance to education raises certain critical questions:

·       What does it mean to ‘encounter the world’ in educational contexts, and what assumptions about subject, world, and relation are carried by this phrase?

·       To what extent can resonance be fostered through pedagogical design, and when does the attempt to orchestrate resonance risk undermining its conditions?

·       How might different traditions (e.g. phenomenological, dialogical, theological, sociological, technological) conceptualise resonance, and what tensions or contradictions emerge between them?

·       What forms of resonance or dissonance arise within contemporary educational institutions framed by marketisation, accountability, and digital mediation?

·       Are moments of resonance inherently positive, or can these encounters be disruptive, disorienting, or ethically troubling?

This one-day seminar brings together scholars (academics, students, practitioners) to examine the conceptual, pedagogical, ethical, and political implications of resonance in education. We invite contributions to critically explore resonance as a theoretical resource for understanding formation, subjectivity, relationality, and transformation within educational contexts. Presentation slots will be around 30 minutes.

We are delighted to announce that our keynote speaker will be Dr Johannes Rytzler, Senior Lecturer in Education at Mälardalen University, Sweden.

Full information and call for papers available at Resonance in Education? Rethinking Encounter, Attunement, and Transformation — Experiments in Education Theory

Registration required, please register here: Resonance in Education? Rethinking Encounter, Attunement and Transformation Tickets, Mon, Mar 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM | Eventbrite