BROOKFIELD AND MEZIROW ON CRITICAL REFLECTION: EMPOWERING ONESELF, TRANSFORMING SOCIETY

Abstract

The goal of (critical)  adult education is to emancipate people, to make them reflect, realize what oppresses them and take transformative action towards a more just and democratic world. In practice, it leads to the acquisition of knowledge / skills, and it is often commodified by awarding certificates / degrees adapting to the demands of the labor market. Mezirow's transformative theory has influenced the field, educators, and researchers as well. Critical reflection constitutes a necessary condition for transformative learning, a term often found in adult and higher education and considered a critical aspect of personal, educational, and professional development. This paper aspires to explain the shift of adult education to the labor market by employing Foucault’s theory and to compare the way two scholars, Mezirow and Brookfield, perceive the concepts of critical reflection and transformation and the prospects they accordingly appoint to the processes in relation to an emancipatory adult education. We conclude that Mezirow’s perspective focuses more on the individual, pursues self-realization and progressive change of society. For Brookfield, education goes hand in hand with politics. His view is critical/radical and aims at profound and drastic social change where collective action is essential. Article visualizations: