This edited volume, Advancing Local Knowledge for a Brighter and Sustainable Future, foregrounds the importance of local knowledge as a vital source of insight for addressing global educational, cultural, technological, social, and sustainability challenges. While locally grounded knowledge is often rich in context and practical relevance, its broader impact depends on its visibility within international scholarly conversations. This volume responds to that need by providing a multilingual, interdisciplinary, and globally engaged platform for knowledge exchange. Contributions explore themes related to education, intercultural communication, cultural diplomacy, governance, sustainability, language, technology, and leadership. Together, the chapters demonstrate how locally produced scholarship can inform global understanding, strengthen academic collaboration, and support a more inclusive and sustainable future. The volume is intended for scholars, educators, institutional leaders, policymakers, and practitioners interested in advancing equitable knowledge production and global academic engagement.

Advancing Local Knowledge for a Sustainable Future: Selected Abstracts from the STAR Global Conference 2025 brings together scholarly abstracts presented at the conference in İstanbul, Türkiye. Reflecting the conference theme, this digital volume highlights diverse perspectives on the role of local knowledge in addressing contemporary global challenges and advancing sustainable development. The collection features contributions from researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and graduate students representing institutions across multiple countries and disciplines. Topics include higher education, artificial intelligence, educational innovation, sustainability, indigenous knowledge systems, community development, cultural heritage, language learning, leadership, social justice, health, architecture, and international collaboration. Highlights Global Perspectives: Research and insights from scholars, educators, and practitioners representing diverse countries and disciplines. Local Knowledge for Sustainable Futures: Innovative approaches that connect indigenous, community-based, and local knowledge with global challenges. Emerging Trends and Innovation: Contributions exploring artificial intelligence, educational transformation, sustainability, and social development. Interdisciplinary Scholarship: A rich collection of abstracts spanning education, technology, culture, leadership, health, architecture, and community engagement. How to cite: Gültekin, O., & Sharma, S. (Eds.). (2026). Advancing local knowledge for a sustainable future . STAR Scholars Press. https://doi.org/10.32674/a2ecr316