Public pedagogy from the learner's perspective: women reading self-help relationship books

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of public pedagogy has increasingly influenced the study of continuing education, drawing attention to ways in which adults access resources from popular culture and learn without the involvement of educational institutions. Reading relationship self-help books has become a prominent component of popular culture. There are two predominant scholarly interpretations of relationship books for women. One argues that such books have ‘abducted’ feminism, because, while cloaked in egalitarian rhetoric about relationships between men and women, they actually encourage women to adopt characteristically male approaches to relationships. The other claims that such books are ‘anti-feminist,’ because they encourage women to nurture satisfying relationships by adopting traditional feminine roles. We explore these interpretations through reporting the results of twenty-four qualitative interviews. Only a minority of readers reported experiences consistent with existing interpretations of the genre. Most readers displayed complex combinations of learning experiences – some of which were consistent with feminist principles, while others reflected a subtle normalization of gender inequalities. We conclude that understanding the impact of self-help books, among other forms of public pedagogy, requires moving beyond textual analysis, to engaging readers in conversation about how reading has influenced their sense of themselves and their relationships.