Informal Education, Childhood and Youth (PDF)

Sarah Mills is a Lecturer in Human Geography at the Department of Geography, Loughborough University, UK.
Peter Kraftl is a Reader in Human Geography at the Department of Geography, University of Leicester, UK. He has previously published Geographies of Alternative Education and Critical Geographies of Childhood and Youth.




Dena Aufseeser, University of Washington, USA

Catherine Bannister, University of Sheffield, UK

Mireia Baylina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain

Sophie Bowlby, University of Reading, UK

Simon Bradford, Brunel University, UK

Richard Davies, Aberystwyth University, UK

Luke Dickens, The Open University, UK

Shanene Ditton, Griffith University, AustraliaIan Donnachie, The Open University, UK

Gregory Donovan, Macaulay Honors College, USA

Kate Edwards, Pearson Education, UK

Denise Goerisch, San Diego State University, USA

Louise Holt, Loughborough University, UK

Richard G Kyle, University of Stirling, UK

“This innovative book has a clear focus on informal educational practices, explored through a number of examples from both historical and geographical contexts. … Each critical debate is contextualised within the literature, effectively referencing key figures from each field, providing directions for further exploratory learning. … I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and have happily found a place for it to nestle in my bookcase, providing a useful reference source for both my teaching, and my research.” (Tracy Hayes, Children's Geographies, January, 2016)

“Useful for anyone considering how informal education can or could have been experienced. … the book has certainly accomplished its aim of opening up new ways of examining informal education across a range of disciplines. … Mills and Kraftl have been able to build a consistent set of themes to bridge these contributions without having to resort to tentative links between chapters, resulting in an enjoyable read with the potential to influence a wide range of research.” (Edward Whiffin, History of Education, 2016)

"Informal Education, Childhood and Youth is an extremely incisive and timely intervention into broader debates around the geographies, sociologies and historical precedents of contemporary educational practices. Indeed, it positions itself at the forefront of these debates, recognising the diverse meanings and spaces of 'education', and the multiple social functions it serves. It is a treasure trove of rich empirical research on 'informal education', as well as pushing the boundaries of scholarship in this area, theoretically. The book will be of interest to academics and students working within geography, education, sociology, anthropology and politics, as well as educational practitioners and policy makers." - Johanna L. Waters, University of Oxford, UK

"This timely and innovative collection weaves together the geographies and histories of informal education in fresh and