ABSTRACT
In this book we have focused our attention on the relationship between identity and pedagogy in a variety of educational settings. A key position we have taken relates to the plural and changing dimensions of identity as they are manifested in and modified through pedagogical processes. Drawing on our different professional backgrounds and experiences, what we have tried to do is to consider a broad range of pedagogical interventions and discuss them through the common concept of identity. This review has taken us through self-help literature, work-based learning, corporate culture, HIV/AIDS education, gender programmes and sex offender education. In moving through these considerably different settings we have positioned identity and identity change as a common theme through which each can be interrogated. The potential benefits of such a review can be expected to be different for different readers, however from our perspective we have sought to provide a take on pedagogy (vis-à-vis identity) that might enable educators to reconsider pedagogy from a potentially novel perspective. This was intended to draw attention to the way that educators are not just narrowly in the business of teaching and learning, but are also involved actively in identity work – work that takes place on both themselves and others. Further, our concern has not been so much with the effectiveness of particular programmes, but rather with constructing a sense of what is going on in the programmes in terms of identity work. Implicit in this approach has been the idea that it is somehow appropriate, beneficial or ‘good’ for educators to be reflexive about their work in terms of their own and others’ identities – indeed with increasing pluralisation of society generally, these issues of being aware of the relations between self and other do seem important.
