Centre for Researching Inclusion and Social Justice in and through Education (RISE)
Colourful diverse people crowd abstract art pattern. Multi-ethnic community, big cultural diversity group background illustration in modern collage painting style.  

The Centre for Researching Inclusion and Social Justice in and through Education (RISE) is concerned with social, epistemic, spatial and ecological justice and inclusion in education at all levels, and the ways in which education might contribute to shaping just and inclusive societies. 

Researchers in the centre integrate expertise in educational research, methodological and theoretical advancement, policy and practice and ask questions such as:

  • how is power exercised to engender, sustain and legitimise exclusion and injustice?
  • how do various discursive and knowledge practices enable or constrain inclusion and social justice?
  • what theoretical, material and conceptual resources advance inclusion and social justice and promote an understanding of historical and current processes of marginalisation?
  • how might education research(ers) support ongoing struggles for inclusion, social justice, and liberation?

To answer these questions we research the transformative acts of educational inclusion that are necessary to build future societies, which can disrupt marginalisation caused by socio-ecological, economic, and civil instability across the globe. Working at different scales, and traversing disciplinary boundaries, our work develops collaborative local and international networks. 

We seek to understand how policies and practices enable and/or constrain inclusion and social justice globally, nationally, and locally. We draw on diverse theories and engage robustly with novel, complex and uncomfortable ideas that help advance transformative thinking about education and its relationship with societies.

Researchers use a range of methodologies, and we are particularly (though not exclusively) interested in participatory methods, methods that foreground voices of young and marginalised people, arts-based methods, critical, indigenous, and decolonial and postqualiative approaches, in keeping with the emancipatory orientation of work in the centre.

RISE aims to support the development of researchers at all career stages, to develop research and scholarship activity which promotes intellectual curiosity and scholarly debate, and to embed inclusion and social justice within our work and relationships.  

Areas of focus

  1. Critical exploration of issues of diversity, inclusion and equity at all levels of the education system, and in life wide learning, and in everyday lives.
  2. Constructions and representations of educational inclusion and social justice.
  3. Education for marginalised groups, including but not limited to refugee education, disability education, girls’ education, LGBTQIA+ education, and the experiences at the intersections of these groups.
  4. The interaction between education and key social and environmental issues, including but not limited to language, literacy, oracy and creative meaning making practices, migration, class, religion, human rights and the climate crisis. 
 

How we are making a difference

We contribute to professional development through course design and delivery, resource creation, workshops and seminars.

We share our expertise and research findings to influence policy in a range of contexts.

Our research activities model inclusion, participation and co-creation.

We are actively involved in the work of the Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (HERE), and Art of Belonging which focusses on the social integration of young refugees through arts and cultural place-making. Please visit the websites for updates on this work.

 
 
Blue background with white coloured people icons joined by lines to represent a network

Membership

Meet the RISE team

Shining light blub in foreground with connected cogs against dark background, giving idea of thinking and ideas

Projects

Key RISE projects

Two female and one male postgraduate student sitting round a table talking

PGR students

Join the RISE team

 

RISE news

Research Education UK and University of Nottingham teacher education course

Description
Refugee Education UK have joined forces with Professor Joanna McIntyre to create free online modules for educators supporting refugee learners in the classroom
Date:
06 February 2025

Success in the THE World University Rankings by Subject 2025

Description
School of Education jump 14 places in rankings for education
Date:
23 January 2025

Safety, belonging and success in education for refugees in Europe: A systematic review

Description
Article from the Hub for Education for Refugees in Europe (Here) team including Professor Joanna McIntyre and Dr Chris Stone
Date:
16 January 2025


See all School of Education news 

RISE events

Launch of Researching the Arts in Primary Schools: The RAPS Report

Date
25 February 2025 (19:00-20:15)
Location:
Online
Description
Presentation of findings from research conducted by Professor Pat Thomson and Emeritus Professor Christine Hall


See all School of Education events  

 

 

Centre for Researching Inclusion and Social Justice in and through Education

School of Education
University of Nottingham
Jubilee Campus
Nottingham, NG8 1BB


+44 (0)115 951 4543