The research group History of education and sociology of edu­cation examines the relationship between education and societal changes in contemporary and historical contexts. The research conducted within the group spans a number of topics, but can be exemplified by three broad themes: international and trans­national perspectives, knowledge and politics. 

The first theme – international and transnational perspec­tives – deals with the ways in which education is shaped and shapes an increasingly internationalized world. Within the framework of the theme, there are comparative studies of how different countries relate to a particular issue, as well as studies of the ways knowledge, practices and people move across bor­ders, and what kinds of effect this has, both in terms of creating international standards, norms and institutions and in terms of conflicts and different types of marginalization.

The second theme – knowledge – may seem almost super­fluous to mention in a pedagogical context, but can be used to categorize some of the research within the framework of the group that in different ways revolves around the way in which knowledge and learning as an idea and practice is shaped by their social context. Within the theme, there are interests rang­ing from scientific to more everyday knowledge, as well as how it is produced and communicated and what type of effects it has in different contexts.

The third theme revolves around politics in a broad sense and deals with the ways in which education systems – and by exten­sion, society – are governed and take shape, either through con­crete political decisions, through a societal discourse or under the influence of social change. Among the issues that have been examined is the role that different actors, from teachers to poli­ticians, can play in the design of an education system, as well as questions about power, hierarchies and segregation.