¿Empoderamiento o emancipación? Interpretaciones desde finlandia y más allá

Abstract

The article looks at two concepts that have both an established and a disputed position in the field of educational and social sciences: the concepts of empowerment and emancipation. The guiding questions are: how empowerment and emancipation relate to each other and how they can be used in the field of social pedagogy in Finland and beyond both as theoretical conceptions in articulating the purpose of social pedagogical work and as guiding principles of social pedagogical practices. By exploring these questions, the aim is to pro¬vide one possible map through the conceptual maze around the terms of empowerment and emancipation, specifically from a social pedagogical perspective. The peculiarity of the Finn¬ish language makes the Finnish discussion around the concept of empowerment a well-suited case example that makes visible how complicated a concept empowerment is and the kinds of problems related to the use of the concept. The field of youth empowerment is explored especially in order to map the diversity of the meanings addressed to the term. The place and role of the concept of empowerment in the theoretical discussion and practice of social pedagogy in Finland is also briefly analyzed. To broaden the perspective of this study, both conceptually and geographically, the relationship between empowerment and emancipation with the aid of international theoretical discussion around the two concepts is explored. The conclusion suggested is that when the concepts of emancipation and empowerment are ana¬lyzed in relation to social pedagogy, it is useful to take into account the different paradigms or traditions of social pedagogy instead of trying to approach social pedagogy as a consensual whole.