| Abstract: | November 1997 witnessed the formation of the Balkan Society for Pedagogy and Education (BA.SO.P.ED) in Thessaloniki, with the support of individual academics and pedagogues from many Balkan Universities and research institutes, but also with the participation of representatives of Educational Societies from Albania, Bulgaria, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M), Greece, Serbia & Montenegro (at that time known as New Yugoslavia), Romania, Turkey and Cyprus. Among the various goals that were adopted in this first step towards a more stable collaboration in the field of education — in a geographical area with a difficult social and political history, but also with a bad record of understanding among its nations that many times in their histories was marked by territorial disputes, that resulted in wars and long lasting political and social tragedies — the members of the Society included in their aim ". . . to promote by any means possible, constant exchange and updating of ideas at all levels (educational, social, political, etc.) in order to materialise those conditions that will facilitate the study and the research of their histories within a contemporary framework, but also will support a common initiative for collaborative action among those authorities that determine their educational and social policies . . ."i. In this article we look at how BA.SO.P.ED creates the conditions that could enable collaboration among pedagogues and educational researchers from the Balkans, by reviewing its activities and priorities as these appear in its publications during the period 1997–2004. |
