Praxis Week 2026: Learning, Solidarity and Action in a Fractured World

18 Sep 2026

Praxis Week 2026 brought together staff, students, community organisations, international partners, educators and members of the wider UCC community for a week of dialogue, research, creativity and critical engagement with Global Justice Education.

Organised through the School of Education’s Irish Aid-funded Praxis Project, this year’s programme explored how education can respond to an increasingly fractured world marked by conflict, forced migration, inequality, climate crisis, racism and political polarisation. A particular focus throughout the week was the importance of partnership, solidarity and working across differences in ways that recognise questions of power, voice and reciprocity.

The week opened with a passionate and thought-provoking keynote from Lassane Ouedraogo, Chairperson of the Africa Solidarity Centre Ireland and University of Sanctuary Support Officer at Trinity College Dublin. Drawing on his extensive experience in migrant rights, anti-racism and human rights advocacy, Lassane challenged participants to consider the responsibility of universities to move beyond inclusion towards justice and meaningful social change.

A central feature of Praxis Week was the exhibition In a Fractured World: Worlds We Live In, Worlds We Question, Worlds We Imagine. Originally displayed for a month in Cork City Library, the exhibition returned to UCC for the week and included films, installations and creative responses exploring migration, care, Palestine, sustainability, identity, representation and radical hope.

Other highlights included Dr Gertrude Cotter’s presentation of findings from the three-part Praxis research study on Critical Global Justice Education in higher education; an energetic and participatory workshop on structural inequality and economic justice with Vicky Donnelly of Financial Justice Ireland; partnership conversations involving colleagues in Palestine, Malawi, India, Peru and The Gambia; a screening and discussion of Concerning Violence, inspired by Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth; and Dr Jody Moore-Ponce’s session on lived experience, activism, knowledge and whose voices count within institutions.

Praxis Week 2026 demonstrated the value of creating spaces within higher education where research, teaching, creativity, community engagement and international partnership can come together — and where learning can move beyond awareness towards solidarity and action.

For more information: https://praxisucc.ie/praxis-week-2026-learning-solidarity-and-action-in-a-fractured-world/