Call for Papers Vol. 25 N. 2/2027 - Students of Chinese Heritage, Families, and Linguistic-Cultural Inclusion in Schools: Education, Language Socialization and Intercultural Practices

2026-06-25

 

This special issue invites contributions that critically examine related phenomena across different national, linguistic, and educational settings. The project investigates language socialization, bilingualism, multilingualism, and identity construction among younger generations of Chinese origin in Italy, with particular attention to the role of Chinese complementary schools (huawen xuexiao), Italian mainstream schools, and the relationships among educational institutions, families, and diasporic communities.

In recent years, the growing presence of children and adolescents of Chinese heritage in Italian schools has highlighted new educational and intercultural challenges, including translanguaging practices, bilingualism and biliteracy, mediation between different value systems, school–family relationships, transnational identity trajectories, linguistic accessibility, cultural stereotypes, constructions of academic success, and the management of educational expectations. This special issue aims to provide an interdisciplinary space for critical reflection on the linguistic, cultural, and social transformations affecting Chinese-speaking communities in Italy and across Europe, fostering dialogue among academic research, educational practice, and community-based interventions. Contributions addressing educational contexts beyond Italy, particularly within the Sinophone world, are also encouraged.

We welcome manuscripts of approximately 40,000 characters from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including intercultural education, educational linguistics, sociolinguistics, contact linguistics, anthropology, migration studies, linguistic and cultural mediation, language teaching, translation studies, Sinophone studies, gender studies, and the sociology of education.

In order to address these issues, contributions (of a theoretical, historical or empirical nature) on the following topics are welcome:

  • Policies, frameworks, and strategies for the educational inclusion of children of Chinese heritage in Italy and abroad;
  • Chinese–Italian language socialization and bilingualism;
  • Translanguaging and multilingual linguistic repertoires;
  • Chinese complementary schools (huawen xuexiao) in Italy and Europe;
  • Relationships among Italian schools, Chinese families, and community organizations;
  • The Chinese educational system, with particular attention to policies concerning diaspora descendants and related issues;
  • Transnational educational practices;
  • Identity construction and multiple forms of belonging;
  • Linguistic landscapes and multicultural educational spaces;
  • Linguistic and cultural mediation in school settings;
  • Linguistic accessibility and school–family communication;
  • Stereotypical representations of students of Chinese origin;
  • Linguistic, emotional, and relational well-being of children, families, and teachers;
  • Intercultural education and teacher training;
  • Narrative, autobiographical, and audiovisual approaches to educational experiences;
  • Chinese heritage language learning;
  • Transnational children and educational mobility;
  • Digital technologies, online communities, and language socialization;
  • Comparative perspectives on school reception and inclusion practices across Italy and Europe;
  • Gender issues within Chinese-speaking families and educational trajectories.

 

Abstract by 15 October 2026

Scholars are invited to submit an abstract for the attention of the editor(s) (by sending it to the email eisinodiscendenti@live.unibo.it by 15 October 2026. The abstract will consist of a minimum of 300 to a maximum of 350 words. It should contain: (i) a presentation of the topic; (ii) the nature of the text (research, studies and essays, etc.); (iii) a brief statement of the topic, adequately justified; (iv) the methodology (in case of research); and (v) brief conclusions.

Acceptance or rejection of the abstract by 15 November 2026

 

Full contribution upload by 30 March 2027

 

The article in Word format (maximus 35.000 types) and the metadata must be uploaded to the journal platform via the submission wizard from the "Make a submission" link on the journal homepage https://educazione-interculturale.unibo.it/index and sent to the following email address:

 

eisinodiscendenti@live.unibo.it  

 

The Dossier can contain articles in English and Italian.

 

Papers that successfully pass the double-blind refereeing will be published in the issue of November 2027.