Monstvilaite, Viktorija
(2021)
Geography of Heart: Home and Belonging in the light of Adult and Community Education.
Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
Abstract
…‘I am comforted by the knowledge that I could die here. This is the
way I imagine the end’ claims hooks (2009, p. 6) who has been the main
inspiration for this personally professional academic journey in search of
home and a sense of true belonging in the context of adult and community
education. Being an adult educator myself, it made sense to use adult
education as the setting for my research; however, firstly, adult education
is concerned with issues of belonging – particularly regarding community
education which offers an opportunity to look at claims of whether it
encourages grounding-as-belonging or inspires mobility. Therefore, linking personal with
professional, employing qualitative research with elements of an autoethnographic approach
and semi-structured interviews, the data has been collected, the findings have been derived and
compared in relation to reviewed literature and the most significant discoveries have been
summarised: although finding or creating home – our final destination - can take a lifetime or
just a glimpse of a moment, there is no single definition when it comes to describing it. The
concept is perceived individually and uniquely by everyone and can consist of many elements:
people, places, familiarity, feelings and a sense of ownership. Alternatively, the notion of self-acceptance and finding home within yourself is a significant factor in the journey of happiness
and contentment. Furthermore, comparing the notions of home and belonging, it is evident that
two ideas interconnect but also vary at the same time. While the thought of home may
incorporate a number of essential elements, the fluid concept of belonging revolves around
aspects of family or community. Finally, the multi-dimensional nature of adult and community
education plays a role which can be liberating, grounding or even both at the same time, where
liberating is perceived deeper than just an act of physical freedom and grounding revolves
around a number of positive ideas such as a sense of purpose, security, self-love and belonging.
Item Type: |
Thesis
(Masters)
|
Keywords: |
home; belonging; adult & community education; liberation; grounding; |
Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Adult and Community Education |
Item ID: |
16398 |
Depositing User: |
IR eTheses
|
Date Deposited: |
08 Aug 2022 14:18 |
URI: |
|
Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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