Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Tale III
International Scientific Conference
ELTE Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education
27–28 February, 2026
The Faculty of Primary and Pre-School Education of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and the ELTE TÓK Foundation for the Preservation of Traditions place great emphasis on deepening the literary understanding of students majoring in infant and early childhood education, pre-school education, and primary school teaching. They also focus on multifaceted approaches to folklore genres and their living transmission in practice. In 2008, our Faculty launched the series Tales of Nations, the highlight of which became the National University and College Storytelling Competition. In 2018, the first international tale conference was held, followed in 2020 by the second conference, which—due to the pandemic—took place online.
The upcoming international scientific conference Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Tale III (2026) will focus on the theme: The Tale as Cultural Mediation. The organizers aim to reflect on perspectives that emphasize how the wandering motifs of tales continuously change their 'homes' from people to people and across time. Rewriting can also be understood in a psychological sense: tale motifs appear in our lives as modern anchors, with their patterns and destinies making us re-experience the classics. At the same time, tales are like fragments of a mirror: they reflect our problems and offer possible solutions. The language and style of tales make these stories both recognizable and enduring. The topicality of cultural mediation is also strengthened by the fact that the ELTE TÓK Master's programmes in Children’s Culture and Cultural Mediation already operate with full cohorts, so the conference can also serve as an inspiration for research conducted within these programmes.
Participation
Applications are invited for presentations of up to 20 minutes in Hungarian, English, or German. Within the given timeframe and languages, there is also an opportunity to present best practices or to organize workshops (45 minutes).
Please submit the title and abstract of your proposed paper or workshop in the language of your presentation.
Suggested Topics
The Tale as Rewriting, Tale in Life – Life in the Tale, Interactive/Multimedia Storytelling,The Detabuizing Role of the Tale, Writing and Reading Tales, Storytelling with the Aid of Artificial Intelligence, Silent Books, Digital Reading; Traditional Oral Storytelling, Tale Pedagogy,Tale Therapy, Tale and Natural Sciences, Tale and Visuality, Tale and Reading Instruction, Tale Psychology, Tales in Textbooks, Tales in Bilingual Education.
Important Information
Deadline for applications: 2 November 2025
It is possible to register not only as a presenter but also as a member of the audience. In this case, please write only the following in the “Title” and “Abstract” fields: Registering as audience.
Participation is free of charge: presentations, workshops, and best practice sessions involve no fees.
Written versions of the conference papers will be published in 2027 (after peer review) in the Children’s Education Online Scientific Journal. Details regarding publication (deadlines, formatting requirements) will be shared after the conference.
Budapest, 25 September, 2025