Nannagogy: Social movement learning for older women’s activism in the gas fields of Australia

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi

The paper examines “Nannagogy,” an innovative form of informal adult learning enacted through activist “disorganisation” by the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed (KNAGs). It analyzes Nannagogy as a hybrid of lifelong/later-in-life learning and complex informal pedagogy explainable via social movement learning theory and Freire’s conscientisation. Evidence is drawn from surveys, interviews, social media document analysis, and researcher autoethnography within a PhD study.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Nannagogy and its foundations

Concept and characteristics of Nannagogy

Activist learning practices within KNAGs

Data collection methods and study framing

Introducing the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed

Origins, strategies, and non-violent direct action

“Disorganisation” and internal learning structures

Tactical identity and “Nanna-ness”

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 59, Number 1, April 2019 Nannagogy: Social movement learning for older women’s activism in the gas fields of Australia Larraine Larri Hilary Whitehouse James Cook University In this paper, we explore the concept of Nannagogy, an innovative pedagogy of informal adult learning enacted by the activist‘disorganisation’, the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed (KNAGs). The ‘Nannas’ are predominantly older women who undertake non-violent direct action using fibre craft, knit-ins, lock-ons, and occasional street theatre to draw public attention to the negative environmental impacts of unconventional coal seam gas extraction (‘fracking’) and of fossil fuel mining. We identify the characteristics of Nannagogy as a hybrid system of lifelong / later-in-life learning and a complex pedagogy of informal learning that can be understood through social movement learning theory (SML) drawing on Paolo Freire’s (1970) original concept of ‘conscientisation’. Nannagogy isan act of radical adult education that has its antecedents in feminist collective learning strategies such as consciousness raising as well asthe formal education strategies of action learning and communities of practice. Nannagogy is highly effective adult learning practice at the intersection of adult learning theory and social movement theory. Data presented in this paper were collected with active KNAG 28 Larraine Larri and Hilary Whitehouse members in Australia as part of a PhD study using surveys, interviews, document analysis of social media (Facebook posts, digital videos, e-news bulletins) and researcher autoethnography. Framing activist adult learning as social movement learning locates environmental and climate justice struggles within lifelong learning practices and enables researchers to better understand the complex processes of informal, situated and often spontaneous adult learning for creating and sustaining movements for social, environmental and political change. Keywords: Knitting Nannas Against Gas, social movement learning, Nannagogy, activism, lifelong learning, informal learning, active ageing. Introducing the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed We came we sang, we sashed [for International Women’s Day]…and after weeks of hard work and [then] hours of sitting on the hard, hard concrete we needed to get out of the hot sun and get something to eat and drink and a Nanna nap! Nothing is too hard for Nannas ... and we never give up. (Comment posted by Rosie Lee, Lismore Loop, 10 March, 2019 Facebook) ‘United to Protect our Water’ – 101 Knitting Nannas use their ‘No Water No Life’sashes for soft lock-on to the bars of NSW ParliamentHouse, International Women’s Day, 2019. Photo: Dominique Jacobs (Gloucester KNAG Loop) reproduced with permission. Nannagogy: Social movement learning for older women’s activism in the gas fields of Australia 29 ‘United to Protect our Water’ –The Knitting Nannas rally on International Women’s Day, 2019 (Martin Place, Sydney, Australia) Photo: Dominique Jacobs (Gloucester KNAG Loop) reproduced with permission. Most of our learning as adults comes from daily experiences – socialising with friends; learning how to do new tasks; performing Internet searches; and getting together as craftivists to challenge the expansion of carbon polluting industries in Australia. The Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed (popular acronym KNAGs, and referred to in this paper as the Nannas) are an Australian movement of older women activists initially brought together by the threat of coal seam gas (CSG) mining in the north coast New South Wales town of Lismore in 2012. Afew concerned women joined an existing environmental group in support of anti-CSG movement ‘Lock The Gate’, where they learned strategies for non-violent direct action (NVDA). However, these women became frustrated by the inherent and unacknowledged sexist and ageist attitudes expressed by male activists. According t

FAQs

What is Nannagogy in this paper?

Nannagogy is presented as a hybrid pedagogy of informal adult learning enacted through activist “disorganisation” by the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed (KNAGs). It combines lifelong or later-in-life learning with social movement learning processes.

How do the Knitting Nannas Against Gas and Greed conduct activism?

They use non-violent direct action supported by fibre craft methods such as knit-ins, lock-ons, and occasional street theatre. These actions aim to draw public attention to negative environmental impacts, including unconventional coal seam gas extraction and fossil fuel mining.

How were data collected for the study described in the paper?

Data were collected with active KNAG members in Australia as part of a PhD study using surveys, interviews, document analysis of social media (Facebook posts, digital videos, e-news bulletins), and researcher autoethnography.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mimi