Popular Education and Social Work: Education Shared

Master's thesis examining the ideological foundations and historical development of popular education and social work as interconnected movements for social change. This research traces how both fields emerged from shared philosophical and moral commitments to emancipation and protection of disadvantaged populations through education. The study unfolds across three main sections: the first establishes the social idea through its three foundational ideological sources—Christian thought, Enlightenment philosophy, and socialist theory—situated within the socio-economic upheaval of industrialization; the second analyzes popular education and social work as distinct yet deeply complementary movements, both grounded in humanist principles and republican ideals; the third investigates protection and emancipation as dual, inseparable missions central to contemporary adult education practice. The thesis demonstrates that both movements draw from a common ideological framework viewing education as essential to democratic participation and social transformation, particularly for those historically excluded from access to knowledge and decision-making.