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Using distinctions between mass vs popular movements and Habermas’ system-world and life-world, it traces examples from religious and political struggles.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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of societal transformation—A Swedish perspective  \nPetros Gougoulakis and Michael Christie Stockholm University, Sweden  \nThe aim of this philosophical and historical position paper is to discuss the ways in which Popular Education—folkbildning—has contributed to the social transformation of Sweden through self-directed and collaborative educational practices. One of our premises is that individual transformative learning, fostered by folkbildning, has contributed to a collective transformation of Swedish society since the late 1890s and laid the ground for a modern and coherent society with a high level of trust among its citizens.  \nIntroduction  \nScandinavia has been an inspiration for many countries when it comes to organised, well-funded and effective adult education. In Australia for example, Adult Learning Australia (ALA) looked to  \n238 Petros Gougoulakis and Michael Christie  \nSweden in the mid-1990s, when it applied for government funding to create study circles to address a number of important social issues. This initiative has evolved into the Australian Study Circles Network Pty Ltd (ASCN) which, to quote its own website,‘is a central resource for those who want to learn about study circles or organise a Dialogue to Change (D2C) program in Australia’. In Sweden, there has along tradition of study circles and other forms of popular education (folkbildning) and although this tradition has also changed and evolved over time, popular education has played an important role in Sweden, especially in times of societal transformation. This article places popular education in context and makes the distinction, firstly between mass movements and popular movements, and secondly between mass education and popular education. It is important to point out that we use these terms in a particular way and in a particular context—namely, as ways of differentiating between two different types of societal change in the intellectual and spiritual life of Sweden. We use Habermas (1984–1986) to help make these distinctions and refer to major political, religious and social changes that we claim have been either initiated within the ‘system-world’or from within the ‘life-world’. The historical context is the gradual emergence, since the time of the Swedish reformation, of a socially cohesive, well functioning democracy. The example of a mass movement that included mass education, which we use in this article, is the overthrow of Catholicism by the Swedish King, Gustav Vasa (1496–1560) and the establishment of the Swedish Lutheran Church. This change begins with a struggle within the the ‘system-world’and over two centuries results in a shift of power and privilege from the Catholic to the Swedish Church. By the 1800s the Swedish state Church encompassed and impacted on the lives of most Swedes and was responsible for a system of mass literacy. It, in its turn, was resisted, but this time from within the ‘life-world’. Religious reformers, backed by ordinary people, created the Free Church  \nPopular education in times of societal transformation 239  \nmovement, which we characterise as a popular movement that used popular education to spread its ideas.  \nHabermas’ theory of Communicative Action (1984–1986) helps us understand, analyse and draw conclusions about the role of popular education, historically and today. For Habermas, there are different types of action that are motivated by different types of reason. He labels his first category strategic/instrumental action. This type of action can countenance unilateral, non-inclusive means when the end is considered important enough. Quite often power and money tends to steer the process. Communicative action seeks common understanding and agreement via a process of rational discourse in order to achieve a mutually acceptable end. In communicative action all parties are given a fair hearing. Accordi","cbCaio9UBbbOxWJH","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaio9UBbbOxWJH","pdf",219135,"English","# Introduction\n## Distinguishing mass vs popular movements\n## Habermas: communicative action and system-world\n## Historical examples of struggle and democratic change","[{\"question\":\"What is the paper’s main argument about popular education in Sweden?\",\"answer\":\"Popular education (folkbildning) contributed to Sweden’s social transformation through self-directed and collaborative educational practices, enabling both individual and collective change.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper distinguish mass movements from popular movements?\",\"answer\":\"It distinguishes between two types of societal change using specific terminology tied to Sweden’s intellectual and spiritual life, and clarifies the use of these terms within that context.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Habermas’ theory help interpret popular education?\",\"answer\":\"Habermas’ communicative action and the contrast between system-world and life-world are used to analyze how strategic/instrumental action spreads and how the life-world must keep the system-world honest.\"}]","Popular education in times of societal transformation - A Swedish perspective | PDF",1792074600]