This article develops an agentic approach to activist learning and analyzes the interplay between agency and learning. The agentic approach derives from Alheit’s concept of biographical learning and Emirbayer and Mische’s concept of agency. The article builds on the case study of an activist’s narrative to show that the development of agency is not a linear process, and that no single unilateral relation was discernible between learning and agency. The interrelations between agency and learning are analyzed in the context of temporality, causation, and agentic dimensions. The article suggests a cycle of learning, action, and agency in activism as a framework for the study of activists learning.
The issues of gender and informal learning pose challenges in many social contexts. Therefore, they have become an interest of many researchers, activists and educators around the world. The rapid development of research on gender and education had its beginnings in the 1960s and 1970s (Bank et all, 2007). Nevertheless, there are still some "missing points" in both, social reality where "gender stereotypes have not been changed very much in recent decades" (Ostrouch-Kamińska, Vieira, 2015, p. 1) as well in gender discourse where-to some extent-feminists or "womanism" perspectives (Walker, 1983) still dominate, at least in some countries. Therefore, the book Private World(s). Gender and Informal Learning of Adults (2015) is of great value in terms of both, informal and (non)formal learning as well gender issues analyses. The book consists of 13 chapters (plus Introduction) written by researchers from various countries and classified into three main parts: 1) Private Spheres, 2) Minorities and Activism and 3) (Non)Formal Contexts of Informal Learning. It is worth noting that such book structure reflects the dimensions and spheres where gender has an impact on learning and biographies. It also reflects some continuity from "private" to "public" and "politic" and their interrelations ("there is nothing more public than privacy" as K. Popovic et all suggest in their chapter). As a result, there is a space for various gender aspects analyses: the personal beliefs, values and learning paths; gender role in shaping family life, social activity and commitment; the relationship between gender and health and well-being behaviours; social perceptions of gender and woman and men's roles in society; gender stereotypes, gender impact on education and career etc. This plurality of aspects covered by the book makes up the book's good quality-the reader can realize cross-sectional gender impact on individuals and societies. In general, the book can be characterized by:
This chapter argues that community development policies may contribute to perpetuating social inequalities in spite of the very concept of community development being ideologically underpinned by the fundamental human values, such as equality, social equity, citizenship, participation in communal life and sustainable development. The authors’ argument is grounded in Poland’s post-socialist experiences in building communities, fostering participatory citizenship and advancing community development. Drawing on historical and empirical analyses, the authors seek to establish why, despite changes in the political configurations, profound systemic changes, and social and economic transformations, community development in Poland still persists in the fragmentary and discontinuous stage.
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