Globalization and the Sociology of Education: Inequality, Governance, and Social Transformation

Globalization has transformed contemporary societies by reshaping institutions, public policies, social relations, and everyday life. These transformations have intensified interdependence across countries and regions, while also producing new forms of inequality, exclusion, vulnerability, and social fragmentation.Education occupies a central position within these processes. It is both affected by global change and actively involved in mediating its social consequences. Educational systems, institutions, policies, and practices can reproduce social inequalities, but they can also promote inclusion, resilience, democratic participation, social mobility, and global citizenship. At the same time, education is increasingly shaped and constrained by market forces, as for-profit companies and commercial actors occupy a growing share of educational space. This marketization raises pressing concerns about the commodification of learning, the erosion of equity and public accountability, and the reshaping of educational purpose around commercial rather than social interests.This Research Topic aims to examine how globalization is transforming education and how education contributes to broader processes of social transformation. It invites sociologically grounded contributions that analyze the relationship between global dynamics, educational change, inequality, governance, and social justice.The collection welcomes theoretical, empirical, comparative, and policy-oriented studies that explore how global pressures are translated into national and local educational contexts, how inequalities are reproduced or challenged through education, and how educational institutions respond to contemporary global challenges such as migration, digitalization, labor market change, and democratic transformation.By bringing together contributions from different geographic and institutional contexts, this Research Topic seeks to advance sociological debates on education as a key site of globalization, inequality, governance, and social change in the twenty-first century.The main aim of this Research Topic is to deepen sociological understanding of the relationship between globalization, education, and social transformation. Specifically, the collection aims to:- Analyze how globalization reshapes educational policies, systems, institutions, and practices.- Examine how education contributes to the reproduction, contestation, or reduction of social, cultural, economic, digital, and territorial inequalities.- Critically examine the role of governance, public policy, international organizations, and market actors in shaping educational change, including how the growing presence of for-profit and commercial actors challenges equity, access, and the public purpose of education.- Investigate how global challenges such as migration, digitalization, artificial intelligence, labor market transitions, and citizenship demands intersect with education and lifelong learning.- Promote theoretically informed and methodologically rigorous sociological research on education, inequality, inclusion, resilience, democracy, and social justice.This Research Topic welcomes contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Globalization and educational policy reform- Sociology of education and global social change- Education, inequality, and social stratification- Governance, public policy, and institutional responses to global challenges- Marketization, privatization, and the critical role of for-profit actors in globalised education- International organizations and global educational agendas- Migration, mobility, intercultural education, and inclusion- Digitalization, artificial intelligence, and educational transformation- Digital inequalities and access to knowledge- Global citizenship, democracy, human rights, and education- Labor market transitions, professional formation, employability, and lifelong learning- Higher education, internationalization, and social responsibility- Comparative studies on education and social transformation across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and other global regions- Theoretical and methodological contributions to the sociology of education in global contextsAccepted Article Types:This Research Topic welcomes theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous contributions, including:- Original Research Articles- Review Articles- Conceptual or Theoretical Articles- Policy and Practice Reviews- Brief Research ReportsAll submissions should demonstrate clear sociological relevance, analytical depth, methodological transparency, and originality. Contributions should avoid purely descriptive approaches and should explicitly engage with broader debates on globalization, education, inequality, governance, and social transformation. Topic editors: Jacinto Jardim, Naira Maria Lobraico Libermann, Patrícia Jardim Da Palma Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83152/globalization-and-the-sociology-of-education-inequality-governance-and-social-transformation