Introduction

This opening chapter starts by providing a justification for the decision to apply a European focus rather than a wider international focus. A second section contextualises the contested nature of the geographical area that is supposed to form the ‘continent of Europe’ and the problem when trying to define what Europe actually entails. A third section focuses upon the ambiguity of the term ‘education’, highlighting the variations the concept has in its use across Europe. The remainder of this introduction provides an overview of the sections and chapters to follow.