Center for International Education

Illuminating the Power of Idea/lism

CIES Theme Logo

The Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) released its 2022 conference theme: Illuminating the Power of Idea/lism.

Professor Supriya Baily, president-elect of CIES and co-director of the George Mason’s Center of International Education, extended her welcome to CIES conference participants to Minneapolis, MN, a complex city that has been welcoming to new communities throughout its history and is at the forefront of racial justice protests.

CIES 2022 will take place April 18-22. The conference plans to offer both face-to-face and hybrid options for participation.

The theme Illuminating the Power of Idea/lism “arises from the interactions of two immutable realities of our time…the first is our global experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is the rise of nativism and fundamentalism representing both ideological rigidity and political divisiveness.” CIES2022.org explains.

The conference encourages keynote speakers, panel and paper presenters and others to think about how these issues affect and impact education. The website promises more information about proposal submissions, featured speakers and other details over the next few months.

Professor Baily said CIES 2022 participants will discuss the influences of political, social, economic, cultural, religious, and linguistic forces on education. She called on presenters to seek out ways to answer questions around motive, risk, ambition, vision, and idealism in education. Such answers will enrich the scholarly dialogue around key CIES 2022 concepts:

  • Tectonic shifts – adapting to trauma at the moment
  • Battling the currents – the influence of politics and economics on education.
  • Orbits aligned – how place makes the difference.
  • Beyond the horizon – reimagining everything.

George Mason University faculty and students have a long history of presenting and participating in CIES related events and activities. In 2017, Mason and CIE hosted the second CIES Research Symposium.

Students at Mason are frequent presenters at the local consortium of universities annual student conferences that usually precede the CIES conference. After the CIES 2022 conference, Dr. Baily will take over as CIES President (2022-2023).

For more information and updated details visit CIES 2022.