How can those working for development and social change best learn about power? How can we understand and engage with more embedded and internalised forms of power, and learn to shift the ways in which power subtly reproduces itself? This article explores the links between the multidimensional concepts of power addressed in this IDS Bulletin and the potential of pedagogical methods from adult education, action research and reflective practice to deepen learning. The author has found value in using a range of methods to engage with multiple aspects of power – paying closer attention to the self through reflective practice, and enabling learners to iterate between reflection on their own lived experience and other forms of personal expression, conceptualisation and practical action. Illustrated by examples from training and postgraduate teaching, the article argues that learning processes in higher education and development studies are often incomplete, and could enhance learning by inquiring more into personal experience, context and practice.
Keywords:
- Power
- Participation