Transformative Education and its Potential for Changing the Lives of Children in Disempowering Contexts

Abstract

For millions of children around the world, disempowerment is not just a part of life – it becomes their life, to the point where any alternative way of living may be unimaginable to them. Intergenerational transmission (IGT) of inequality is deeply embedded, even where education is available; this leads us to question whether many forms of education, experienced by children who are already disempowered, may further entrench that condition by reproducing the norms, values and drivers within society that have brought about this disempowerment in the first place. In this article we explore the extent to which access to good?quality, transformative education has a key role to play in overcoming IGT of marginalised children and their communities, with positive outcomes not only for the individuals themselves but also for wider social processes.