ABSTRACT
Books have one, presumably many, origin stories that could be told. The genesis of this book goes back a long way and, of course, is in line with the editors’ constant interest in and scholarly engagement with spatial theory, inclusion, and the exploration of possible interconnections between the two. In retrospect, however, a defining moment for the conception of this volume was an inspiring symposium, “Space and Spatiality in the Context of Heterogeneity and Inclusion” at the Freiburg University of Education in 2017. Following this conference and the discussions that ensued, three main impressions remained. First, the category of space holds extremely exciting and gainful perspectives for research questions around inclusive education. Second, however, linking questions to space and inclusion presents itself as a still rather marginal phenomenon of (educational) research and, moreover, as a scattered and fragmented terrain. The potentials of the connection between spatial issues and inclusive education are far from being exhausted theoretically, analytically as well as empirically. Third, the contributions were characterized by a reference to a specific focus, the German-language debates, and hence were limited to the national context and tended to be intra-disciplinary. Research following these observations reinforced these impressions and eventually led to the idea and conceptualization of the volume, Space, Education, and Inclusion.
