This master thesis explores what disorienting dilemmas Slovenian emigrants in Germany face
and how they resolve them, as well as the impact of the learning process on these dilemmas. I
also investigate how transformative learning enables the use of the existing capital and the
accumulation of new capital, and how this learning affects the changing of habitus in a new
environment. Conceptually, the thesis is based on the intertwinement of sociological and adult
education theories, primarily Bourdieu's theory of practice and Mezirow's theory of
transformative learning. Methodologically, the thesis is based on a qualitative approach, which
enabled an in-depth investigation of the experiences and processes of transformative learning
among Slovenian emigrants in Germany through detailed interviews. The findings indicate that
Slovenians in Germany as well face disorientation, and that learning plays a significant role in
addressing it though this learning is not necessarily transformative. However, transformative
learning has proven to be exceptionally important in the utilization of the existing capital and
the creation of strategies for accumulating new capital. As expected and in line with the theory,
transformative learning has also been shown as crucial in the process of changing of habitus,
particularly in relation to diversity, behavioral adjustments, and internalization of linguistic and
cultural practices.
|
