Abstract
Migration has become both a consequence of and support structure for global racialised capitalism. A presumed source of support for the people who migrate is adult education, especially the second language learning class. However, as a state organized institution, the policies and practices that govern second-language courses serve to inculcate the ideologies and values that support a racialised capitalist system. We draw on two case examples – the U.S. and Germany – to demonstrate these entanglements. We engage Freire’s critical pedagogy wherein learning contexts encourage students to question the realities of their lives, and Foucault’s ideas regarding heterotopian places where the hegemonic norm is suspended and different approaches of pedagogical work can be implemented. We conclude with the suggestion of different pedagogical paths – a ‘pedagogy of dreaming’ and a ‘pedagogy of courage.’
Highlights
IntroductionWhile adult education trends suggest systemic complicity with capitalist interests (Mayo, 1999), we found examples that attempt to use the second language learning class, as heterotopian spaces to implement different and powerful critical pedagogical work
A critical project for educators is developing a social conscience to improve the living conditions of refugee and other precarious migrant communities
While adult education trends suggest systemic complicity with capitalist interests (Mayo, 1999), we found examples that attempt to use the second language learning class, as heterotopian spaces to implement different and powerful critical pedagogical work
Summary
While adult education trends suggest systemic complicity with capitalist interests (Mayo, 1999), we found examples that attempt to use the second language learning class, as heterotopian spaces to implement different and powerful critical pedagogical work. The migration that was part and parcel of a life contingent on respect for the Earth and its changing conditions came to a halt as capitalist fervour turned land into property and nations into “imagined communities” These communities were ideologically led to believe that the protection and development of “their” country should take priority over any sense of moral compass in the treatment of the Other, especially if that Other came from a perceived ‘inferior’ culture or race (Monzó, 2020). Crucial to our argument is Marx’s (1977) important recognition that the ‘so called primitive accumulation’ (p. 874), which in large part derived from colonisation (the appropriation of lands and resources and exploitation of peoples), was not a one-time grab to spur on capitalist growth but a continuously necessary central aspect of the capitalist economy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
