8–12 giugno: “Psychology Beyond Borders”, an international workshop on Psychology training accross Europe and Africa

“Psychology Beyond Borders”: an international workshop on Psychology training accross Europe and Africa

Parma, 3 June 2026 – From Monday 8 to Friday 12 June, the University of Parma will host the international workshop Psychology Beyond Borders. Comparative Dialogues on Psychology Education and Doctoral Training in a Decolonising Perspective, bringing together faculty members, researchers, and scholars from Italian and African universities in Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Senegal.

The initiative is promoted and organized within the framework of the activities of the University Centre for International Cooperation (CUCI) by Nadia Monacelli, Francesca Cavallini, and Luca Caricati. It forms part of the University’s broader commitment to strengthening international academic dialogue and scientific cooperation with partner countries.

The workshop has been conceived as a space for exchange and dialogue among diverse educational and research contexts, to explore psychology education and doctoral training through a comparative and intercultural perspective. The programme will foster the sharing of practices, methodologies, and educational models, encouraging joint reflection on university curricula, the theoretical foundations of the discipline, the ethical principles underpinning education and research supervision practices.

Particular attention will be devoted to recognising and valuing the plurality of epistemological perspectives and cultural contexts that contribute to the production of psychological knowledge. In a global landscape increasingly shaped by mobility, interconnectedness, and social transformation, the workshop seeks to promote critical and constructive dialogue on the challenges these changes pose to psychology education, research, and professional practice.

The programme includes two days, to be held at the CUCI headquarters in Via d’Azeglio 85, dedicated to the presentation and comparison of Psychology degree programmes across the participating countries, followed by two days focusing on doctoral education and the main research areas developed by the institutions involved. Collaborative working sessions will also be organised to identify areas of scientific convergence and to design future joint research activities and international collaborations, with particular attention to doctoral programmes.

The opening session, scheduled for Monday 8 June at 8:30 a.m., will be attended by representatives of the University of Parma’s academic leadership and by the President of the Emilia-Romagna Order of Psychologists, who will highlight the importance of the initiative in strengthening international dialogue and fostering shared reflection on the education of future generations of psychologists in rapidly changing social contexts.

The opening session will also feature contributions from Tiziana Mancini and Martina Ardizzi, Presidents of the University of Parma’s Psychology degree programmes, together with Ada Cigala, Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Psychology.

A significant part of the workshop will be devoted to developing new forms of academic cooperation among the participating institutions, with particular emphasis on the exchange of teaching expertise, the co-supervision of doctoral candidates, and joint participation in international programmes and funding opportunities.

Psychology Beyond Borders represents an important opportunity to strengthen networks of university cooperation between Europe and Africa and to further enhance the role of the University of Parma as a place of encounter, dialogue, and the production of shared knowledge. The initiative confirms the commitment of both CUCI and the University to promoting academic partnerships based on reciprocity, the exchange of expertise, and the joint development of research and educational pathways capable of addressing contemporary global challenges.

Full programme available at the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HGMVWx1u29j4a1Gqzxd1ZQ4SQ7s_bs4C?usp=drive_link