Emancipatory interests of multiple literacies for activism and community transformation

Abstract Literacies are the social processes that emerge and sustain, from everyday life, representing and transforming the mundane and repeated activities which resist the unequal power adjustment in society. In this regard, informal learning and literacies cultivate critical reflexivity of people to perform like activists. This paper aims to explore informal learning and literacies that foster awareness of existing social hierarchies and structures to help bring about change in family and social life. Two adult women’s groups were purposefully selected in a village in Nepal. The main sources of data were persistent observations of these groups in a number of meetings, transient walks in the village, and participation in a range of community activities. Two women from each group were selected for in-depth interviews. The themes emerging were generated and analysed from three human interest perspectives: technical, practical, and emancipatory, using the concepts of Jurgen Habermas. This paper found that everyday life activities are embedded in learning and literacies which result in the critical reflexivity of a marginalised group of people. Critical reflexivity has helped them to think through their value system and to anticipate the changes in their life. The paper concludes that informal learning and literacies are the process of activism that enables change in the lives of adult women and the wider community, thereby recognising and valuing adult learning and literacies.