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Social action and political learning
Abstracts (english)
Doris
Lucke
Acceptance - legitimacy risk in a 'voting society'
FJNSB 3/96
In her essay, Doris Lucke tries to analyze the concept of acceptance
as a criterion for legitimacy in a 'voting society' and to introduce
it into the sociological debate on legitimacy as its socio-subjective
dimension. Acceptance - as the agreement or the consent in political
decisions and measures - is both precondition and limitation of legitimacy
in a society, which is characterized by growing options between different
conceptions of truth, justice, and moral. Not only in politics, but
in (social and ecological orientated) technology development and ethical
research as well, protagonists are facing the demand to answer the more
and more probable protest by higher efforts of persuasion and justification.
The necessity of a broad acceptace for political decisions, therefore,
means to apply these decisions to the 'grassroots'. The jeopardy of
this development - so the author's opinion - might be the substitution
of democracy by opinion polling and the degradation of the people to
'vote machines'.
Bernhard Claußen
Social action and political learning - Towards orientation on action
and Lebenswelt in concepts of political education
FJNSB 3/96
In context of a historical review of the conceptual development
of political education in federal republik of germany after World War
II, Bernhard Claußen discusses requirements for and problems of political
education's orientation on action and Lebenswelt concepts. To enforce
political learning is a constituant of New Social Movements' activities.
NSM, therefore, builded up their own institutions of political education.
To avoid reduction of learning, political education in NSM must not
concentrate on experiences of action, but has to examine the contexts
and patterns of functional political socialization and conventional
forms of organized political learning. The re-entry of politics in political
education depends on the reference to institutions of political and
civil society within the range between Lebenswelt and social systems.
Claußen concludes that institutions of an emancipatoric political education
have to offer opportunities for creative and substantial disputs on
politics, free from constraints of action. It is necessary to establish
a forum for democratic culture of dispute, which is open for different
social groups and topics, and which is unique in society.
Leo Jansen
Rediscovery of politics by problem orientated learning - Regional Round
Tables and political networks
FJNSB 3/96
Because of lack of fancy and exhaustion of traditional politics,
the institutionalized field of political education has to find new ways
for the rediscovery of political learning, as Leo Jansen states. Grounded
on empirical and theoretical findings of the workers' movement, strategies
for the handling of problems and conflicts as well as the related development
of fancy is the main substance for political education. Nowadays, Round
Tables are a very important scene of political learning. The author
bilances his experiences with Round Tables and networks in political
education projects in Aachen (Germany). One of the most significant
requirements for political education as a specific practice of political
learning is the active stimulation of processes of learning and the
critical reflection of these processes. Motivation of political participation
depends on social action as well as on cognitive processes of political
learning. Political education, therefore, is part of political disputes
and conflicts as well. In contrary to traditional public concepts of
and financial support for political education, the youths' and adults'
education programs have to be politicised.
Maria Icking
Political education and projects of the green foundation - Conceptual
aspects and organizational effects of the foundation reform
FJNSB 3/96
Foundations of the green party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) or out
of its environment are used to be looked upon as supporters of movement-related
political education. Because of the change of social movements in general,
nowadays the green foundations have to verify this demand. Maria Icking
states that the decentralized structures of current education programs
have hindered a common/ collective conceptual work on an own profile
in the past, although this work would be even more relevant because
of the professionalization and institutionalization of the movement
sector. She works out the outlines of the organizational restructuration
of the green foundation. In her contribution, Icking analyzes the most
important concepts and problems of this reform, which is oriented on
the idea of a 'non-bureaucratic organization'. The new restructured
'Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung' has to offer opportunities for political education,
support for political projects, policy assessment, and mediation not
only to the green party and the movement sector but to international
Non-Govermental Organizations, as well.
Martin Beyersdorf
Awakening without end?! Self-organized eduacation work between profile,
politics, and professionalization
FJNSB 3/96
The development of the self-organized eduacation programs of
the NSM, which started at the end of the seventies, is described by
Martin Beyersdorf. His contribution is based on an examination of 200
initiatives of political education, which are organized in a parent
organization called 'Verein Niedersächsischer Bildungsinitiativen'.
The examination focusses on the developments of themes and topics of
their educational work, professional self-concept and motives of their
teachers, their financial problems, learning concepts, and the actors
and participants in the field of political education. Although the original
education aim (Bildungsziel (?)) - the ability for critique (Kritikfähigkeit
(?)) - continued until today, their former concentration on innovative
themes as gender studies, energy and ecology, health, third world, and
peace changed into the concentration on innovative concepts of educational
work and learning strategy. The interest in political education was
detached by interest in professional education, that means education
for profession as well as professionalized education offers. Thus, a
main task of political education in the future is to continue the innovative
potential and to define a wide term of politics in contexts of Lebenswelt
and activity.
Pulsschlag
The current issue of the Forschungsjournal Neue Soziale Bewegungen
offers a special headed column 'Pulsschlag zum Thema', which presents
results, experiences, and analyses of further projects in the field
of political education:
Johannes Kandel's contribution 'Learning for democracy' describes results
of a project of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung,
Gisela Notz refers to women's networks in political education,
and Ulrich Pfister presents the 'Tu-was-Movement' as a new form of civil
engagement.
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