Commoning Education: Lessons from Latin American Popular Education in Buenos Aires – Argentina

Project Information

EduCommon

Grant agreement ID: 101027465

DOI

10.3030/101027465

Project closed

EC signature date 6 April 2021

Start date 1 March 2022

End date 28 February 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 206 496,96

EU contribution

€ 206 496,96

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRID
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EduCommon (Commoning Education: Lessons from Latin American Popular Education in Buenos Aires – Argentina)

Reporting period: 2024-03-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Since the 1990s, privatised views of education have become dominant. Trying to reverse such views, UNESCO published a report in 2015 focused on reconceptualizing education as a common good. Precisely, the notion of the common gained prominence in the European context following the 2008 crisis, as a response to the societal rejection of austerity measures and budget cuts. Inspired by grassroots and participatory democracy models, the notion of the commons promotes a critical model of citizenship, actively engaging in collective governance processes (commoning processes) of natural, social, and cultural resources –including public education. Its goal is to achieve open and equitable access that reverses these processes of privatisation. Thus, the notion of the commons encompasses organisational systems that are not public (understanding "public" as the state) nor private (understanding "private" as the market). Thus, the commons challenge the "public-state vs. private" dichotomy, in favour of a participatory democratic model that operates at the local-community level.

Nonetheless, the commons approach has received limited empirical exploration within the field of education. In view of this, EduCommon project explores the commons approach in education by foregrounding experiences that stretch beyond the traditional school model and actively engage civil society actors in fostering education for transformation and social justice. In this regard, the revival of Popular Education tradition following the Argentinean crisis of 2001 serves as a notable example, with ongoing projects of successful common governance of education. However, this effort has not been addressed through the commons lens and has barely gained visibility in Europe. While the commons approach embodies Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) through the reciprocal learning between academia and society, there remains a scarcity of studies in education policy that effectively bridge theoretical discourse with empirical observations of projects inspired by commons principles. Recognising this gap, EduCommon has undertaken empirical research to explore the notion of the commons in education, focusing on contemporary Popular Education experiences in Buenos Aires. Against the backdrop of pressing challenges such as fostering inclusive responses to immigration in education and countering the rise of extreme right ideologies, promoting the perception of education as a commons emerges as a social imperative for safeguarding and fortifying today's democracies.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

What does "commoning" mean in education? EduCommon has explored this question from an autonomist perspective, which conceptualises commoning as the setting up of horizontal, assembly-based initiatives with utopian aspirations, organised by civil society—primarily social movements. These initiatives aim to address the social needs of communities and resist the enclosure dynamics (privatisation) promoted by the capital-state alliance, particularly through neoliberal policies. In alignment with this perspective, commoning experiences distance themselves from both 'the public,' understood as the realm of the state, and 'the private,' governed by competitiveness and profit rationale. Thus, the commons assert their autonomy not only from the market but also from the state.

From this autonomist perspective, EduCommon has explored an empirical case of Popular Education: the Bachilleratos Populares (BPs) in Argentina, whose political-pedagogical organization aligns closely with commons principles. The BPs are popular education experiences for young people and adults created by grassroots organisations following the Argentinean crisis of 2001 as a response to the gap in adult education left by the neoliberal policies in education in the 1990s. Soon after their creation, the BPs decided to vindicate official recognition by the state, in response to the need expressed by the students of obtaining a secondary diploma. Consequently, the BPs mobilised collectively as a social movement to advocate for state recognition and secure material resources, such as teacher salaries and student scholarships. As a result of this collective struggle, a large part of the BPs have already been recognised as secondary schools, whilst maintain their autonomy to select their teachers. Furthermore, their numbers have proliferated since the early 2000s, with over one hundred BPs currently in operation, primarily concentrated in the city and province of Buenos Aires.

Through qualitative research, based on document analysis (legislation recognising BPs and documents elaborated by the BPs describing their experiences) and interviews with BPs teachers and state managers from the Ministry of Education of the city of Buenos Aires, EduCommon has disentangled the institutional organisation of the BPs. This examination has underscored elements such as their utopian vision of social justice, dedication to horizontality, utilization of direct democracy mechanisms, autonomy, and the dynamic interaction between "the common" and "the public." Notably, in the political-pedagogical dimension, the BPs demonstrate a strong political commitment within their curricula, aimed at nurturing a utopian horizon that reflects the ethos of the commons. Progress updates are available for consultation on the project’s website: www.educommonproject.com.

The results of EduCommon have been disseminated in 4 academic article, one book chapter, 10 contribution in academic conferences,6 research seminars, de dataset of the action, a short-documentary, the website of EduCommon, an educational policy report that will be published as a book chapter in 2025, 7 outreach events and an updated map of all the bachilleratos populares in the city of Buenos Aires.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The notion of 'the commons' has garnered considerable attention in the field of education, both within academia and among international organizations. However, there remains a dearth of empirical references to offer guidance and systematic insights into the challenges of implementing commoning practices in education.

'The commons' distinguish themselves from the market sphere by rejecting the dynamics of privatization. Yet, they also distance themselves from the public sphere, viewing the state as complicit in exclusionary dynamics. Nevertheless, in the realm of education, the right to education has primarily been safeguarded through the public-state sphere, notably through the expansion of public (state) schooling throughout the 20th century. Against this backdrop, EduCommon offers analytical insights into the complex interplay between "the commons" and "the public" in education—an arena intricately linked to the role of the state. The experiences of the BPs in the city of Buenos Aires yield valuable lessons regarding the opportunities and tensions inherent in the relationship between the state and the commons in education.

Overview of Educommon website