Gesellschaft gemeinsam gestalten, aber wie? Handlungsmöglichkeiten aus Subjektperspektive

Has the emancipative character originally connected with the concept of community development been lost and a system affirmative impetus in the sense of cooperation without co-determination been born instead? Do parallels appear in and to adult education? Does action-oriented educational work that is in alignment with its surroundings and critical of society (still) exist? This article is dedicated to these and other questions. The author demonstrates that at present, the achievement of government targets is frequently the focus of educational work instead of the perspective of the active subjects. Alternative spaces for learning and action can be a citizens’ initiative. Five citizens’ initiatives are observed and used to illustrate how political spaces for action that are desirable from the perspective of the subject can develop that lead the educational task back to its core: the emancipation of the subject. For it is less a question of general "activation" or the commitment of people than of the "official" recognition of voluntary actions.