Learning in Action or Learning Inaction? Emotion and Politics in Action Learning

Action learning is never detached from the political context within which this method is employed, or the assumptions that motivate its use. Action learning inevitably serves political purposes that inform attempts to learn – for individuals, within groups and in organizations – and it connects to power relations, whether these are prevailing or emerging, whether they favour domination or resistance. This chapter (therefore) addresses the connections between emotion, politics and learning, and the implications of such connections for action learning in practice.