Conceptualising the historical tradition of radical workers’ education in South Africa

ABSTRACT This article sketches the contours of the particular tradition of radical workers’ education that emerged in South Africa in the context of the re-emergence of militant trade unionism in the 1970s and 1980s. It draws methodologically on Cultural Historical Activity Theory and its view of education as an activity system to present an analysis of the some of the distinctive features of this tradition of radical workers’ education. These include its transformative purpose, its internal ideological contestation, and the combination of an ideologically directive pedagogy with learning in “praxis.” Contextual conditions that supported the emergence of this radical tradition have shifted in more recent times, undermining its historical practices. The article concludes that recognising and reclaiming this radical tradition can enrich our knowledge archive and our education practices.