013373 Popular Education and Cultural Action

Popular education is education by the people, with the people, and for the people. The term has gained currency in a range of contexts.

Educators can and do make an important contribution to helping people take more control of their lives and struggle against injustices such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, and environmental destruction.

Cultural action refers to a tradition of using collaborative, arts-based practice to engage in popular education. A key feature of the creative practices that is considered is the process of helping people create and tell their stories. By creating and telling their stories – whether it be by using theatre, song, writing or other art forms – people have an opportunity to analyse their current situation and values in the light of their own experiences. Through this subject, students have an opportunity to work with others to create a 'story' that highlights issues and needs in common with others. The challenge is to use the story-creation and storytelling process to promote community participation, critical reflection, raising awareness and willingness to initiate community action. One aim of this subject is to examine the efforts of those who have tried.

In this subject, students study and practise a range of strategies and tools used to engage in popular education and cultural action.