Exploring Art for Perspective Transformation

We live in a socio-cultural reality which is dominated by an entrepreneurial and instrumental rationality, as well as by a discriminative and populist mentality. Questioning the validity of taken-for-granted sovereign perspectives is thus of vital importance. Our contact with art can serve as a pathway through which we might be empowered to identify false life values and develop the disposition and ability to challenge them.

The learning potential of aesthetic experience is, however, barely exploited within educational systems. In addition, although major scholars have contributed to a deeper understanding of the liberating dimension of processing important artworks, there has been surprisingly little discussion in the relevant literature focusing on educational practice.

Exploring Art for Perspective Transformation provides a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of theoretical views pertaining to the emancipatory process of exploring art. Moreover, it presents the educational method Transformative Learning through Aesthetic Experience (TLAE), with reference to particular examples of implementation. TLAE is addressed to adult educators and school teachers regardless of the subject they teach and their theoretical background on aesthetics. It involves engaging learners in exploring works from fine arts, literature, theatre, cinema and music with a view to promoting critical reflection on one’s potentially problematic perspectives.

Alexis Kokkos is Emeritus Professor of Adult Education, Chairman of the Hellenic Adult Education Association and member of the Stewards Committee of the International Transformative Learning Association. He recently edited Exploring Transformation Theory: Affinities between Jack Mezirow and Emancipatory Educationalists (Routledge, 2020).