Abstract / Description of output
Laclau and Mouffe have long argued the democratic possibilities of ‘left populism’ underpinned by their agonistic critique of liberal democracy. We are currently witnessing the attempted application of their theories by European political parties. However, there remains very little international scholarship taking up the challenge of situating these arguments in the broader literature on the relationship between democracy and education. We argue that this is an urgent task, particularly in the context of populist trends which appear inimical to educational practice. Thus, we explore the implications of populism for adult education aimed at defending and extending democratic life. We question the conflation of agonistic democracy with left populism on several grounds, and we consider how a focus
on education might help to ground their theory and clarify its ambiguities. We argue that adult educators can surface aspects of the context which representations of populism on the one hand, and populist representations on the other, often hide. Our argument is illustrated through two vignettes of populist events and the educational problems and opportunities they posed.
on education might help to ground their theory and clarify its ambiguities. We argue that adult educators can surface aspects of the context which representations of populism on the one hand, and populist representations on the other, often hide. Our argument is illustrated through two vignettes of populist events and the educational problems and opportunities they posed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 488-502 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | International Journal of Lifelong Education |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 23 May 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 3 Sept 2019 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- populism
- left populism
- adult education
- interregnum
- agonistic democracy
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Callum Mcgregor
- Moray House School of Education and Sport - Lecturer in Education
- Institute for Education, Community & Society
Person: Academic: Research Active , Academic: Not Research Active