School of Education

Dr Rowena Palacios

  • Research Associate (School of Education)

Biography

Rowena Azada-Palacios uses philosophical, historical, and qualitative approaches to study issues of justice within education and knowledge production. Her work draws on critical political thought (including anti-colonial and feminist thinking), Continental philosophy, and Philippine philosophies, and she has a longstanding interest in Catholic thought. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years, having taught philosophy at Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines (where she held leadership roles in internationalisation and was the coordinator for postgraduate philosophy programmes), education studies programmes at University College London and London Metropolitan University, and the liberal studies programme at New York University-London. She was previously a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

Rowena completed her PhD in Philosophy of Education at University College London; this work formed the basis of her monograph Postcolonial Education and National Identity (Bloomsbury, 2024), which received the 2025 Book Award from the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia. She received an MA in Citizenship Education from the Institute of Education in London, and MA and AB degrees in Philosophy from Ateneo de Manila University.   

At the University of Glasgow, Rowena is attached to the project Towards the University of the Future, led by Dr Lisa Bradley. Apart from this, she is writing a book on universities and empire.

 

Publications

Prior publications

Article

Gina A. Opiniano et al. (2026) Gender in Philippine education and philosophy: A collective writing project Educational Philosophy and Theory Crossref. (doi: 10.1080/00131857.2026.2709645)

Ka Ya Lee et al. (2026) Is Philosophy of Education Western? Anglo-American responses Educational Philosophy and Theory Crossref. (doi: 10.1080/00131857.2026.2699189)

Seán Henry, Rowena Anthea Azada-Palacios, Audrey Bryan (2025) Editorial introduction: re-claiming innovation: advancing critical perspectives in educational research Irish Educational Studies Crossref. (doi: 10.1080/03323315.2025.2584011)

Romina Ann S. Yap, Angela Fatima H. Guzon, Bill Atweh, Rowena Anthea Azada-Palacios, Chara Deanna F. Punzal (2025) Scaffolds for teachers’ integration of social justice issues in mathematics education: A pilot study South African Journal of Education Crossref. (doi: 10.15700/saje.v45n3a2459)

Joanna Bourke, Rowena Azada-Palacios (2025) Challenging persistent rape myths: an interview with Joanna Bourke Journal of Philosophy of Education Crossref. (doi: 10.1093/jopedu/qhaf033)

Rowena A Azada-Palacios, Janet Orchard (2025) Teaching as rooted cosmopolitans: towards justice-oriented internationalization in higher education Journal of Philosophy of Education Crossref. (doi: 10.1093/jopedu/qhaf016)

Rowena A. Azada-Palacios (2025) Can we teach philosophically about unspeakable human suffering? Ethics and Education Crossref. (doi: 10.1080/17449642.2025.2465222)

Rowena Azada-Palacios (2024) The role of the philosopher of education in the task of decoloniality Journal of Philosophy of Education Crossref. (doi: 10.1093/jopedu/qhad055)

Stella Mi-Cheong Cheong, Rowena Azada-Palacios, Kamille Beye (2024) Becoming bridge citizens: Educating for social justice in conflict-affected settings Education, Citizenship and Social Justice Rowena Azada-Palacios. ISSN 1746-1987 (doi: 10.1177/17461979231222904)

Peter Browning, Katy Highet, Rowena Azada-Palacios, Tania Douek, Eleanor Yue Gong, Andrea Sunyol (2022) Conspiring to decolonise language teaching and learning: reflections and reactions from a reading group London Review of Education Crossref. (doi: 10.14324/LRE.20.1.42)

Opiniano, G.A. et al. (2022) Philosophy of education in a new key: A collective writing project on the state of Filipino philosophy of education Educational Philosophy and Theory Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 14695812 00131857 (doi: 10.1080/00131857.2021.2008357)

Rowena Azada-Palacios (2021) Schools as social spaces: Towards an Arendtian consideration of multicultural education Journal of Philosophy of Education Rowena Azada-Palacios. ISSN 1467-9752 (doi: 10.1111/1467-9752.12577)

Rowena Azada-Palacios (2021) Philosophy of education in a new key: Future of philosophy of education Educational Philosophy and Theory Rowena Azada-Palacios. ISSN 1469-5812 (doi: 10.1080/00131857.2021.1946792)

Rowena Azada-Palacios (2021) Hybridity and national identity in post-colonial schools Educational Philosophy and Theory Rowena Azada-Palacios. ISSN 1469-5812 (doi: 10.1080/00131857.2021.1920393)

Cheong, S.M.-C., Azada-Palacios, R., Beye, K., Lang, A.P., Saud, N.B., Tong, Y. (2021) Collective autobiographical reflexivity on active and compassionate citizenship in the COVID-19 crisis Perspectives in Education Scopus - Elsevier. ISSN 2519593X 02582236 (doi: 10.18820/2519593X/pie.v39.i1.19)

Rowena Anthea Azada (2005) Hannah Arendt: The Challenge of World-Building Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture Crossref Metadata Search. ISSN 2243-7886 (doi: 10.13185/budhi.v9i1.213)

Book Section

Rowena Azada-Palacios, Pamela Joy Mariano Capistrano (2026) Loób, Kapwa and Educational Attunement: Reimagining Relationality in the Classroom Teaching Ethically in the Global South Rowena Azada-Palacios. ISBN 9783032155689 (doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-15568-9_4)

Rowena Azada-Palacios (2019) Arendt and Teacher Authority Encyclopedia of Teacher Education Rowena Azada-Palacios. ISBN 9789811311796 (doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-1179-6_17-1)

Book

Azada-Palacios, R. (2024) Postcolonial education and national identity: An Arendtian re-imagination Postcolonial Education and National Identity: An Arendtian Re-imagination Scopus - Elsevier. ISBN 9781350433335 9781350433311

Other

Rowena Anthea Azada-Palacios, Pamela Joy Mariano () Philippines, Education of Ethnic Minorities in Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education Crossref Metadata Search. ISBN 9781412981521 (doi: 10.4135/9781452218533.n535)

Professional activities & recognition

Prizes, awards & distinctions

  • 2025: Book Award (Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia)

Research fellowships

  • 2025 - 2026: Sargent Award for Visiting Scholars, Harvard University Arnold Arboretum

Editorial boards

  • 2025 - 2026: Ethics and Education
  • 2025 - 2026: IMPACT Series, Journal of Philosophy of Education

Professional & learned societies

  • 2026 - 2028: Advisory Board Member, International Network of Philosophers of Education
  • 2024 - 2026: Founding Chair, Philippine Society of Education and Philosophy
  • 2024 - 2026: Co-Convener, 'Philosophy of Education Sans Frontiers', Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
  • 2007 - 2010: Board Secretary, Philosophical Association of the Philippines

Selected international presentations

  • 2026: Invited Panelist, Global Philosophy of Education Conference (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
  • 2024: Invited Keynote Lecture, International Network of Philosophers of Education Conference (Ormskirk, United Kingdom)
  • 2023: Invited Spotlight Panel, Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (Auckland, New Zealand)
  • 2019: Invited Plenary Lecture, Philosophical Association of the Philippines (Los Baños, Philippines)