ABSTRACT
Empowerment is a notion which is centrally important in debates about identity, autonomy and citizenship which are at the heart of social and political dilemmas many countries and regions are facing at the present time. However, for some time now it has been possible to argue that empowerment has reached a critical stage in its development, particularly within the arena of educational discourse. Simultaneously championed on the one hand by proponents of market-led reforms and on the other hand by those whose concerns have more to do with the development of an emancipated citizenry than with the proliferation of free-wheeling consumers, its semantic fabric is inclined to fall apart at the touch. However, whilst it is true the burgeoning use of ‘empowerment’ has gone hand in hand with its increasingly elusive meaning, paradoxically, its significance has become more rather than less compelling.
