Journal Articles by Andreas Fejes
Social Inclusion, 2019
In times of market reforms and international migration, the Swedish welfare model has been seriou... more In times of market reforms and international migration, the Swedish welfare model has been seriously challenged. In the context of the arrival of refugees in 2015-2017, the state turned to civil society in facing up to the challenges. In this article, we direct our attention to the Workers' Educational Association's (ABF) state-funded work with refugees, with a specific focus on the activities conducted, the resources making them possible and the use-value of the resources mobilised. The article is based on observations and interviews with study circle leaders, managers and asylum seekers. The analysis illustrates that ABF, in line with its historical legacy, the broader workers' movement, the strong notion of popular education as 'free and voluntary', has, with its well-established connections throughout the country, not solely taken on the task defined by the state. In solidarity, ABF has also responded to the needs of the refugees. As highlighted in the analysis, ABF has mobilized a wide range of resources, not least providing refugees with social networks and help in contacting the authorities. With such mobilization, opportunities were provided for the inclusion of refugees in Sweden.
Social Inclusion, 2019
In times of market reforms and international migration, the Swedish welfare model has been seriou... more In times of market reforms and international migration, the Swedish welfare model has been seriously challenged. In the context of the arrival of refugees in 2015-2017, the state turned to civil society in facing up to the challenges. In this article, we direct our attention to the Workers' Educational Association's (ABF) state-funded work with refugees, with a specific focus on the activities conducted, the resources making them possible and the use-value of the resources mobilised. The article is based on observations and interviews with study circle leaders, managers and asylum seekers. The analysis illustrates that ABF, in line with its historical legacy, the broader workers' movement, the strong notion of popular education as 'free and voluntary', has, with its well-established connections throughout the country, not solely taken on the task defined by the state. In solidarity, ABF has also responded to the needs of the refugees. As highlighted in the analysis, ABF has mobilized a wide range of resources, not least providing refugees with social networks and help in contacting the authorities. With such mobilization, opportunities were provided for the inclusion of refugees in Sweden.
European journal for research on the education and learning of adults, 2019
The first issue of RELA was published in 2010, so with this issue we enter the 10-year anniversar... more The first issue of RELA was published in 2010, so with this issue we enter the 10-year anniversary. In this editorial, we will firstly elaborate on what we as editors find that RELA has accomplished. Secondly, we introduce changes that are taking place while entering 2019, and lastly, we introduce the papers which are included in this issue.
International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 2019
This article poses these questions: How do participants on two different courses in folk high sch... more This article poses these questions: How do participants on two different courses in folk high schools in Sweden, a basic course and a theatre course, motivate their educational and occupational choices, and what similarities and differences can be identified? We analyse interviews with students drawing on a narrative approach. Five trajectories emerge: desire to get away; desire to get back on track; desire for employment; desire to change occupation; and desire to realise one's dreams. We argue that these trajectories reproduce existing social stratification in society, whereby certain futures are available to some people, and not to others.
International review of education, 2019
The role of adult education in the shaping and fostering of democratic citizens is prevalent in c... more The role of adult education in the shaping and fostering of democratic citizens is prevalent in current transnational and national policy discussions; a significance which has been further infused by the past few years’ historically high migration flows. This article focuses specifically on the role of adult education in shaping asylum seekers into “full” citizens in Sweden. Drawing on a poststructural discursive theorisation, the author analyses policy reports as well as interviews with project managers and leaders of study circles (a particular form of collaborative adult learning in Sweden) involved in a state-funded initiative called Svenska från dag
ett [Swedish from Day One]. This programme emerged in the wake of the arrival of high numbers of asylum seekers in Sweden in the autumn of 2015 and onwards, providing them with an introduction to the Swedish language and to Swedish society. The author’s analysis illustrates how a discourse on asylum seekers as “not yet citizens” emerges, where “they” still lack certain knowledge and capabilities deemed necessary to potentially become “full” citizens in Sweden. Such knowledge, besides language, concerns (Swedish) cultural and institutional (e.g. healthcare and taxation) knowledge. The article concludes by raising some questions regarding the way in which the need for country-specific language as a basis for inclusion is taken for granted.
ett [Swedish from Day One]. This programme emerged in the wake of the arrival of high numbers of asylum seekers in Sweden in the autumn of 2015 and onwards, providing them with an introduction to the Swedish language and to Swedish society. The author’s analysis illustrates how a discourse on asylum seekers as “not yet citizens” emerges, where “they” still lack certain knowledge and capabilities deemed necessary to potentially become “full” citizens in Sweden. Such knowledge, besides language, concerns (Swedish) cultural and institutional (e.g. healthcare and taxation) knowledge. The article concludes by raising some questions regarding the way in which the need for country-specific language as a basis for inclusion is taken for granted.
International Journal of Lifelong Education , 2019
The aim of this article is to analyse the ways in which migration plays out in adult students’ na... more The aim of this article is to analyse the ways in which migration plays out in adult students’ narratives about their occupational choice and future, focusing on three individual narratives of adult students with various experiences of migration to Sweden. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s concep- tion of orientation, our results show how the adult students’ narratives on their future occupations are formed on the basis of migration, per- taining to their particular experiences of being recognised as migrant Others. Among the three students, similar challenges emerge in terms of their claims for belonging. One the one hand, the students do claim belonging to the Swedish social community. On the other hand, they are – as ‘migrants’ – repeatedly reminded of their non-belonging to this community. In various ways, they feel out of place. Although migration, in the narratives, is not played out one and the same way, but in various ways, engagement in adult education as a means of finding a job appear as the main orientation guiding the futures of the adult students, as being an important way of finding a future and claim one’s belonging to the Swedish social community.
International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 2019
This article poses these questions: How do participants on two different courses in folk high sch... more This article poses these questions: How do participants on two different courses in folk high schools in Sweden, a basic course and a theatre course, motivate their educational and occupational choices, and what similarities and differences can be identified? We analyse interviews with students drawing on a narrative approach. Five trajectories emerge: desire to get away; desire to get back on track; desire for employment; desire to change occupation; and desire to realise one's dreams. We argue that these trajectories reproduce existing social stratification in society, whereby certain futures are available to some people, and not to others.
Studies in the Education of Adults , 2017
In this article, we focus on how a discourse on inclusion operates through language learning prog... more In this article, we focus on how a discourse on inclusion operates through language learning programmes for migrants. We direct our attention to a new form of activities funded by the Swedish government, Swedish from day 1, organised by popular education institutions. These activities emerged in connection to the migration flows in 2015, receiving large sums in funding from the government. They target newly arrived migrants who are waiting for a decision on their resident permit application, and the aim is to provide an introduction to the Swedish language as well as to Swedish society. Drawing on a Foucault-inspired theorization, we direct our attention to how a discourse of inclusion operate through the way these initiatives are spoken about, how these activities are described, what they are intended to attain, and what kind of citizen is shaped through such a way of speaking. We analyse policy documents produced by different actors involved in the process of Swedish from day 1, as well as case study descriptions of courses. We argue that the discourse on inclusion that emerges encompasses a wider as well as an instrumental notion of inclusion. Migrants are positioned as ‘in deficit’, in need of knowledge in order to become included. Such knowledge does not limit itself to knowledge of the Swedish language and knowledge about Swedish society, but also knowledge of health issues, and knowledge about how the migrants can market themselves and their competencies. We end the article by relating this discourse on inclusion to a wider discussion on neoliberal rationalities of governing.
Research in Education, 2017
In this piece, we argue that an economy of publication and citations has emerged that not only ch... more In this piece, we argue that an economy of publication and citations has emerged that not only changes the notion of what is deemed quality in educational research, but also changes the incentives of us as researchers. With pressure on publishing in " international " journals, education researchers are increasingly pushed to publish their research in the article format, and for many, in their second or third language (English). Additionally, we are to direct the research to an audience that might not at all be interested or knowledgeable about the context under scrutiny. With such pressure to publish in English language journals, the question of who is allowed to publish and who is cited is of paramount significance. Based on our own empirical research on the adult educational research field as well as other bibliometric research, we propose that there is an " Anglophone " bias in educational research. We end with a discussion on the implications of the current trend to publish in indexed English language journals and suggest that " Anglophone " as well as non-Anglophone scholars need to start citing other scholars than those from the dominating " Anglophone " countries in order to further enhance knowledge and debate within education. The ultimate irony of the developments described in this piece is that the researchers from non-anglophone countries actively engage in a publication game that underscores their own subordination.
Nordic Journal of Migration Research , 2017
The aim of this article is to contribute to an understanding of contemporary processes of negotia... more The aim of this article is to contribute to an understanding of contemporary processes of negotiations concerning belonging and non-belonging to the Swedish social community. Taking on a theoretical approach on belonging inspired by Yuval-Davis and Jacobsen, the article analyses three individual stories of women who have migrated to Sweden. Out of this analysis, focusing on how these women claim their belonging to a Swedish social community at the same time as they in different ways are denied such belonging by others, we may conclude that although each of the stories told is unique and articulates an individual experience, there are striking similarities in how their claims of belonging, with its related implications for belonging, are not acknowledged by others. In a way, these individual stories tell us something about some of the crucial challenges regarding belonging in contemporary multi-ethnic Sweden, as well as Europe.
Educational Theory and Philosophy, 2017
The role of education in citizen training has been well mapped out in youth education. What has b... more The role of education in citizen training has been well mapped out in youth education. What has been less studied is how this role comes into being in adult education. By providing illustrative empirical examples from a recently completed study of adult students enrolled in adult education, this article aims to o er a theoretical response to the question of the role of adult education in adult student citizen subjectivity formation. Taking on Diken’s concept of ‘reactive nihilism’, we wish to make the following arguments. First, that citizen formation in adult education, when students are asked about it, is actualised as processes of re(dis)covery of will in order to be(come) a successful and happy citizen in society. Secondly, that these processes point towards a role of adult education as one where these formation processes work in tandem with those of the reactive nihilists. This means that the citizen formation processes made possible in this educational site are those marked out by the desire to mobilise one’s will formation so that it adapts to the prevailing societal situation—that of late capitalism, which is a situation not considered by the adult students as possible to change.
Journal of Education and Work, 2017
The aim of this article is to problematize the ways class and gender are played out in adult stud... more The aim of this article is to problematize the ways class and gender are played out in adult students' narratives about their occupational choice and future. Drawing on Beverly Skeggs, we analyse how students think about future occupations, what motivates them towards these and how they are able to form their future in relation to them. Taking on Sweden as a case, our results show that students' narratives on their future occupations are classed as well as gendered. In their vision of future occupations, working-class students tend to focus on occupations helping and caring for others, while middle-class students tend to focus on work more as a means of fulfilling themselves as individuals. These differences are also gendered. Female students are more likely than their male counterparts to picture their future occupations in relation to having children and a family. This tells us that in the female students' narratives, there tends to be a strong focus on caring – for their families as well as in future occupations.
Educational Philosophy and Theory, 2018
The role of education in citizen training has been well mapped out in youth education. What has b... more The role of education in citizen training has been well mapped out in youth education. What has been less studied is how this role comes into being in adult education. By providing illustrative empirical examples from a recently completed study of adult students enrolled in adult education, this article aims to offer a theoretical response to the question of the role of adult education in adult student citizen subjectivity formation. Taking on Diken's concept of 'reactive nihilism', we wish to make the following arguments. First, that citizen formation in adult education, when students are asked about it, is actualised as processes of re(dis)covery of will in order to be(come) a successful and happy citizen in society. Secondly, that these processes point toward a role of adult education as one where these formation processes work in tandem with those of the reactive nihilists. This means that the citizen formation processes made possible in this educational site are those marked out by the desire to mobilise one's will formation so that it adapts to the prevailing societal situation – that of late capitalism, which is a situation not considered by the adult students as possible to change.
In recent decades education has been suggested as an important solution to current problems of th... more In recent decades education has been suggested as an important solution to current problems of the population's health. A high level of education in general is construed as essential for the nation's well-being and competitiveness. In this article we problematise the ways in which discourses on education, learning and health have become interlinked. Drawing on a post-structural theorisation inspired by Michel Foucault, we analyse Swedish policy documents on education and public health and direct our attention to how the healthy citizen is shaped and fostered. We illustrate how the healthy citizen emerges in opposition to the non-healthy, non-desirable and abnormal citizen. Citizens are made responsible for identifying their deficits and suggesting solutions. Governing techniques, such as motivational interviews and physical activity on prescription, operates in order to shape such citizens. Through these techniques, a confessional relation emerges, where citizens are invited to disclose their deficits and problems and in so doing shape themselves in a desired way.
In this article we report on findings from a large-scale bibliographic study conducted based on t... more In this article we report on findings from a large-scale bibliographic study conducted based on the citation practices within the field of research on adult learning. Our data consist of 151,261 citation links between more than 33,000 different authors whose papers were published in five leading international journals in the field of adult learning during the time period 2006–2014. By analysing the composition of the dominating citation clusters we are able to construct a telescopic view of the research field based on an accumulation of bibliographic citations. The results consist of two parts. First we go through the dominating players active in the field, their position and mutual relationship. Secondly, we derive two main structural oppositions inherent in the citation networks, one connected to the research object (studying education or work) and the second to the level of analysis (cognition or policy). We find that the most dominating tradition within adult learning the last few decades – socio-cultural perspectives on learning-occupies a very central position in the space of citations, balancing between these opposing poles. We hope that this analysis will help foster reflexivity concerning our own research practices, and will reveal the relations of dominance currently prevailing within the field of adult learning.
This paper historicises and problematises the concept of the digital citizen and how it is constr... more This paper historicises and problematises the concept of the digital citizen and how it is constructed in Sweden today. Specifically, it examines the role of popular education in such an entanglement. It makes use of a genealogical analysis to produce a critical 'history of the present' by mapping out the debates and controversies around the emergence of the digital citizen in the 1970s and 1980s, and following to its manifestations in contemporary debates. This article argues that free and voluntary adult education (popular education) is and has been fundamental in efforts to construe the digital citizen. A central argument of the paper is that popular education aiming for digital inclusion is not a 21 st century phenomenon; it actually commenced in the 1970s. However, this digitisation of citizens has also changed focus dramatically since the 1970s. During the 1970s, computers and computerisation were described as disconcerting, and as requiring popular education in order to counter the risk of the technology " running wild ". In current discourses, digitalisation is constructed in a non-ideological and post-political way. These post-political tendencies of today can be referred to as a post-digital present where computers have become so ordinary, domesticized and ubiquitous in everyday life that they are thereby also beyond criticism.
The focus of this article is the discourse of entrepreneurship education in Sweden. Drawing on a ... more The focus of this article is the discourse of entrepreneurship education in Sweden. Drawing on a genealogical approach, the analysis draws attention to how this discourse is shaped in the curriculum today, and how it has come to emerge. Focusing on two key events that constitute this discourse, responsibility and problem-solving, and tracing these events back in time, the analysis illustrates how the discourse on entrepreneurship education today shapes a specific kind of citizen, one who is responsible for themselves and who has developed a constant will and desire for learning, thus being able to adapt to the constant changing future. Such a citizen is distinctly different from the one emerging in the 1960s and 1980s, where a citizen that shows solidarity with others, and especially the weak, and who develops problem-solving skills in order to actively engage in the development of society, emerges. These results can be related to wider trends in education policy, where neoliberal rationalities have become more central, in Sweden as well as in other countries, where there has been a shift of focus, from an understanding of education as a common good, to an understanding of education as a private good.
The aim of this article is to analyse how a discourse on the role model operates in youth recreat... more The aim of this article is to analyse how a discourse on the role model operates in youth recreational work. Drawing on Michel Foucault's concepts of subjectivity, discourse and power/knowledge, the article analyses interviews with youth recreation leader students enrolled at a folk high school, and their talk about occupational choice. The analysis illustrates how a discourse on the role model emerge and operate through the ways students' descriptions of 'being', and 'doing' intersect with their becoming as role models. The analysis raises several important questions. Should youth recreational work only target those young people who are already marginalised? Are there other subject positions than the role model, available to take up in youth recreation work? Are experiences of marginalisation necessary in order for a desirable youth recreation leader to emerge?
This article analyzes the formation of citizenship in today's multi-ethnic Sweden with a particul... more This article analyzes the formation of citizenship in today's multi-ethnic Sweden with a particular focus on how migration renders visible existing citizenship ideals, defined in terms of similarity and difference on the basis of ethno-cultural background. Analysing three individual stories of women who have migrated to Sweden, with different biographies and stories of how they ended up in Sweden, the article focuses on negotiations of the boundaries and contents of citizenship in multi-ethnic Sweden. The point of departure for the analysis is a post-structuralist and discursive approach. In all, the stories address the crucial question of who should be included into the social community and on what conditions – and who should be left out? This particular question is also at the very centre of the political debate in today's Europe. On the one hand, there are strong arguments about the 'death of multiculturalism' and demands for new forms of ethno-culturally graduated citizenship – also in Sweden. On the other hand, in Sweden as well as in other European countries, claims for the development of a new and more inclusive societal community have been raised, expanding the rights of citizens to accommodating also those who have been excluded from them.