Paul Smeyers - CV

B.A.(1974), M.A.(1976) Educational Sciences (Degree awarded by KU Leuven); B.A. (1980), M.A. (1982) Philosophy (Degree awarded by KU Leuven); Special Course Student, London University, Institute of Education (1982-83); PhD (1984) Educational Sciences (Degree awarded by KU Leuven); (Title - in English - "A picture held us captive". The analytical philosophy of education between Ryle and Wittgenstein).

He is Research Professor for Philosophy of Education at Ghent University,Extraordinary Professor at K.U.Leuven, both in Belgium, and HonoraryExtraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University South Africa. Heteaches philosophy of education and methodology of theGeisteswissenschaften(Qualitative/Interpretative Research Methods). He has a wide involvement in philosophy of education (almost 300publications). He holds, or has held several positions in theInternational Network of Philosophers of Education (President since2006, 2nd term 2012-2018) and is link-convenor (Chair) for Network 13,Philosophy of Education of the European Educational Research Association. He was the Editor of the Journal PedagogischTijdschrift (based in the Netherlands, 1995 2004).He is AssociateEditor of Educational Theory, and a member of the Editorial Board ofStudies in Philosophy and Education, the Journal of Philosophy ofEducation and Ethics and Education. For more than a decade he isthe chair of the Research Community Philosophy and History of theDiscipline of Education established by the Research FoundationFlanders, Belgium (FondsvoorWetenschappelijkOnderzoek - Vlaanderen).

Together with Nigel Blake, Richard Smith and Paul Standish he co-authoredThinking Again: Education after Postmodernism (Bergin & Garvey,1998), Education in an Age of Nihilism (Falmer Press, 2000) and TheTherapy of Education (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) and co-edited TheBlackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Education (2003). Together withMarc Depaepe he co-edited several books published by the ResearchCommunity (Dordrecht: Springer). With Michael Peters and Nick Burbules heco-authored Showing and Doing:Wittgenstein as a PedagogicalPhilosopher (Paradigm Publishers, 2008). Forthcoming are aco-authored book with Richard Smith (Making Sense of Education andEducational Research, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2012)and a collection jointly edited with David Bridges, Morwenna Griffiths,and Nick Burbules (International Handbook of Interpretation inEducational Research Methods, Springer, Dordrecht, 2013).

He was visiting professor at RAU (RandseAfrikaanseUniversiteit (Johannesburg, South Africa), at Auckland University (New Zealand), and at the University of Lima (Peru). During his sabbatical leave (2005-2006) he held positions at the University of Cambridge (St Edmund’s, Fellow, U.K., Fall 2005), and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U.S.A., 3 months 2006). He is an active member of the American Philosophy of Education Society, of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, of Network 13, Philosophy of Education (ECER), and of theInternational Network of Philosophers of Education. He supervised 7 Ph.D.’s (degree awarded) and continues to supervise 3 Ph.D.’s.

Areas of expertise:

Philosophy of Education, postmodernism, Wittgenstein scholarship, Philosophy of Educational Research.

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