“Give me words as if they were workshop tools”. Working-class autobiographical memory for a bottom-up history of education

Abstract

The contribution explores the educational and documentary value of workers’ autobiographical memory as a source for a history of grassroots education. Through archives, working-class literature, and oral testimonies, it examines experiences of both formal and informal learning. Particular attention is given to the 150-hour courses, regarded as pedagogical tools for conscientization and self-education. The aim is to provide instruments for critically reinterpreting educational processes and constructing a collective memory of the working classes.