Social action, social change and social reform

Exploring the arenas, ideas and theorists of social action for educators, pedagogues and animateurs

On this page : introducing social actionsocial action arenassocial action thinkerskey social action ideas

Introducing social action

Introducing social action: what is social action, where can it be found.

Walking social action: exploring social action through a virtual walk in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe.

Key social action arenas

Association and civic participation

Community learning and development

Lifelong learning and adult education

Settlements and social action centres

Some social action thinkers

Addams, Jane

Alinsky, Saul

Barnett, Henrietta

Buber, Martin

Coyle, Grace

Follett, Mary Parker

Freire, Paulo

Gandhi, M. K.

Grundtvig, N. F. S.

hooks, bell

Illich, Ivan

Lindeman, Eduard

Marx, Karl

Mills, C. Wright

Nyerere, Julius K.

Owen, Robert

Palmer, Parker J.

Romero, Oscar

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques 

Tawney, Richard Henry

Woods, Robert A.

Some key social action ideas

action research

animation

association

civic community

civil society

colonialism

communitarianism

community

community development

community education

community of practice

community organization

community participation

community work

dialogue and conversation

conscientization

democracy, education for

globalization

globalization and the incorporation of education

groupwork

happiness

helping

hope, utopianism and educational renewal

informal learning

jazz, green and social

learning society

lying and moral choice in private and public life

networks – learning

non-formal education

non-formal and informal education

popular education

post-modernism/post modernity

power

praxis

‘race’, difference and lifelong learning

regeneration

relationship

social action

social capital

social capital and lifelong learning

social enterprise and organizational learning

social exclusion, ‘joined-up’ thinking and individualization

social group work

social pedagogy

theories of action

Acknowledgement: Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash