Learning, knowledge, and activism : an introduction to the special issue

Abstract

All social practices, including activism, involve the production of knowledge (Santos, Nunes and Meneses 2008). This Special Issue of the Postcolonial Directions in Education journal is located in the multidisciplinary body of literature that explores the relationship between knowledge and collective action for social transformation. It emerged out of a panel presentation at the 2013 World Council of Comparative and International Education Societies in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After the panel, entitled “Social mobilisations for education in Brazil, USA and India: A dialogue between activists and academics”, discussions about the papers presented led to this Special Issue, which includes essays about multiple forms of knowledge production within sites of social mobilisation; and strategies for doing activist research and teaching in the corporate academy.