Designing Alternatives in Education Among Farsi-Speakers – Reviving Historical Collaboration Through Emergent Pedagogies

• In Event: From Theory to Praxis: Designing Education Alternatives within Farsi-speaking Communities experiencing Conflict and Political Instability

Proposal

This presentation builds on the long history of learning flows in the region, as a tool for solidarity and resiliency in the absence of strong governmental efforts to expand educational opportunities. From old madrasas to literary gatherings, education has always been a strong part of the collaborative culture in the region. The regional educational philosophies, such as Rumi’s school of thought in bringing peace to the societies, and cross-cultural educational exchanges, such as Rushdieye’s modern schooling initiative from Armenia to Khorasan and Harat, have shaped both traditional and modern schools, and these influences still matter today.
In recent years, many Farsi-speaking communities have faced serious challenges due to conflict and political instability. This initiative - a Summer School series for educators - responds to these difficulties by creating spaces for educational solidarity. It brings back the spirit of historical collaboration through alternative education models that focus on resilience, creativity, and shared learning. These models offer hope and connection in times of division.

The project also highlights the diversity within Farsi-speaking communities. Participants share a common language, but come from different backgrounds and minoritized experiences. The goal is to explore new ways of learning together, using approaches that come from lived experiences and collective design, rather than following mainstream systems. It is a space where people come together to talk, experiment, and create new ideas in education. The Summer School connects past traditions with present needs, helping to imagine new futures for education among Farsi-speakers.

Building on the historical context of collaborative learning in the region, two additional elements informed the design of the Summer School. First, the framing of educational alternatives draws from a book published by The Alternatives Project (TAP) with NORRAG, Education for Societal Transformation: Alternatives for a Just Future. We drew from select chapters of the book as a foundation for participants to reflect, document, and share their ideas. Several authors of the chapters also presented during the course, enabling discussion on elements that could resonate, be adapted, or made anew among Farsi-speaking communities.

Second, the Summer School began in 2024 featuring Peace Education, and continued to grow in 2025. Two years of summer schools enabled reflections among colleagues laboring under severe pressures and limitations. We sought to balance listening, fostering experience exchange, and offering relevant ideas and experiences from other regions of the world to stimulate a wider range of creative possibilities.

This presentation introduces and offers context on how education can be redesigned in ways that respects cultural history, responds to current challenges, and supports new ideas. By bringing back the rich traditions of collaboration among Farsi-speaking communities, and combining them with creative practices and constructs from a growing field of education alternatives, this initiative demonstrates how education can be transformed in difficult times.

Authors

• Ahmad Medadi, IOE, UCL

• Michael Gibbons, The Alternatives Project