Based on an extended period of ethnographic research and observation of migrant workers’ educational programmes, this book presents a theoretical exploration of social and educational issues in an industrialised area in south China. It highlights the tensions existing between the traditional ideology stressing collectivism, selfless devotion and teacher-centred teaching, and the new social practices promoting commercialization, personal development and interactive teaching. The author provides first-hand descriptions and analyses of rural-urban migrant workers’ lives, work and education....

This book is based on an in-depth ethnographic study of the National Adult Literacy Programme (NALP) in Malawi. It highlights the significance of exploring power and identity in literacy studies. Employing the concept of ‘figured worlds’ to study literacy as a social practice, the book focuses on understanding power relationships and identities in literacy practices. It illustrates how literacy identities and power relationships of some local community members continuously vary from one context to another and, in some cases, even within the same context. Using notions such as agency,...