Download Posteripohja-2014

Learning to be a Learner - Lifelong Learning as a Technology of
Governmentality
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Heikki Kinnari, Department of Education, University of Turku
THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
• Lifelong learning (LLL) has been seen as an answer to rapid
growth of economic, technological and societal pressures at least
from the 1960s
• Three generations have been divided in the ”history of LLL” - How
are they connected to political rationalizations?
• ”Social” welfare state and neoliberalism are examples of political
rationalizations - Political rationalities are relatively systematic
discursive matrices within which the activity of government is
articulated
• Technologies of power – govern the conduct of individuals and
their behavior towards desired outcomes and objectivize the subject
• Technologies of the self – enable individuals conduct themselves
by their own means to transform themselves to get happiness,
credibility etc.
• Governmentality is a framework and ´a tool´ for analysis that
governance is a very widespread phenomenon that goes on
whenever individuals and groups seek to shape their own conduct
or the conduct of others
• Lifelong Learning is connected to different political
rationalizations and functions as a technology of governmentality
in different historical context. The regimes of truth
(rationalisations) define the knowledge of LLL and LLL constructs
subjects
• Genealogy is an analysis of ideas in the present time – conception
of LLL is traced back in time and the circumstances in which they
occurred are analyzed – taken for granted ideas of the LLL present
in present time are challenged
• Foucauldian-inspired analyses of discourse
– Historical inquiry – genealogy
– Analysis is directed to power relations
– Analysis is directed to subjectification
• Critical policy sociology, Critical policy analysis, Policy
genealogy
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RESEARCH QUESTIONS & MATERIAL
• How the self of the lifelong learner is constructed and rhetorically justificated in different
generations/political rationalities in the discourses by OECD, European Union and UNESCO?
• How the lifelong learning as technology of power is constructed and rhetorically justificated in
different generations/political rationalities in the discourses by OECD, European Union and
UNESCO?
• Research material contains over 40 reports from OECD, European Union and UNESCO from
1960s to 2010s.
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RESULTS
Humanistic Generation - ”Normal citizenship” – Lifelong Education as
an umbrella concept for education, health, alienation, citizenship,
economy… etc.
Economist Generation - The governmentality of LLL was based to the
human capital theory in the name of ”uncertain” future (economy &
social cohesion) – no alternatives
Soft Economist Generation - ”Softening” of the politics is just rhetorics?
Responsilibization of the individual? – Growing polarization started to
emerge a threat to economic growth
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RESULTS