About the talk
It's 150 years since Helga Eng was born. The talk explores how education has been mobilised in times of systemic crisis to sustain legitimacy, build international coalitions, and narrate possible futures. By drawing on historical turning points since the mid-20th century, the presentation highlights how education has served as both a governance tool and an imaginative resource in navigating global polycrises. It will also consider lessons learnt and key points of attention for the contemporary situation and for the futures of global governance beyond 2030.
Programme
- From 12:30: Birthday cake and coffee/tea
- 13:15: Welcome and introduction, by Ola Erstad (Dean at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Oslo)
- Lecture by professor Christian Ydesen (Chair of History of Education and Education Policy Analysis at the Department of Education, University of Zürich)
- Panel dialogue in Norwegian with professor Christian Ydesen, professor Kirsten Sivesind, (Department of Education, University of Oslo) and professor Kim Helsvig (Faculty of Education and International Studies, OsloMet). The dialogue will be hosted by professor Inga Bostad (Department of Education, University of Oslo).
About the speaker
Christian Ydesen is Chair of History of Education and Education Policy Analysis at the Department of Education, University of Zürich, Switzerland, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Department of Education, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. He has held visiting researcher positions at the University of Edinburgh (2008–2009, 2016), the University of Birmingham (2013), the University of Oxford (2019), and the University of Milan (2021, 2024). His research explores international organizations, the global governance of education, educational testing and assessment, as well as accountability and diversity in education from historical, comparative, and international perspectives. He has published extensively in these areas, contributing numerous book chapters and journal articles. Since 2025, he has served as Editor-in-Chief of the European Educational Research Journal.
The Helga Eng-lectures
Each year the Faculty of Educational Sciences invites a well-known academic in our field to give an honorary lecture. The Helga Eng lecture gives the Faculty the opportunity to invite central academics that through their research and work have attributed to bring important research questions and theories within the educational sciences forward. The lecture is intended to serve as inspiration for students and researchers alike. The honorary lecture was established by the Faculty as a yearly event in 1997. It is named after Norway's first professor in Education, professor Helga Eng (1875 - 1966).
Foto of Helga Eng: Oslo Museum