ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 engages with the second of the three current paradigms of transformation in education: the paradigm of emancipation. Here I argue that the many areas of educational research that have been influenced by the theory of transformative learning, especially adult education, operate on such a conception of transformation. According to this framework, the job of the transformative educator is to free students from cultural prejudices and ideological misunderstandings that hinder their own personal growth. For representatives of this paradigm, these prejudices are typically manifested in internalized social expectations that have prevented students from pursuing an authentic existential and vocational path for themselves. As in the previous chapter, I begin with an account of several emancipation experiences in general and then show that such experiences aptly characterize the various usages of transformation in adult education and related fields. After this, I move to the ethical advantages and disadvantages of the paradigm.
