Cultural Studies and radical popular education, resources of hope

Steele, T. (2020) Cultural Studies and radical popular education, resources of hope. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 23(6), pp. 915-931. (doi: 10.1177/1367549420957333)

Abstract

This article takes up the theme that a significant but often ignored source for British Cultural Studies began in the interdisciplinary teaching of the Workers’ Educational Association and university extra-mural departments in the immediate post-Second World War years. I deepen this argument by outlining the history of ‘popular education’ in Europe and beyond in the modern period to illustrate how the coming together of subaltern political movements and intellectual inquiry created an independent public sphere of radical self-enlightenment. In this article, by utilising archival and textual sources, I should like to explore whether it may be possible to renew the original project of Cultural Studies through radical programmes of ‘popular’ adult education in the digital age. I see Jim McGuigan’s work as offering ‘resources of hope’, in Raymond Williams’ phrase, for this tradition in the universe of academic Cultural Studies.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Steele, Dr Tom
• Authors: Steele, T.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: European Journal of Cultural Studies
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 1367-5494
• ISSN (Online): 1460-3551
• Published Online: 07 October 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2020
• First Published: First published in European Journal of Cultural Studies 23(6):915-931
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license