Policy Press
10 From the school of hard knocks to the university of hard locks
Abstract
This lyrical and compelling account of a personal transformation by Abdulhaq Al-Wazeer makes connections between his scholarship and his faith. Finding strength and resolve in learning with The Open University propelled Abdulhaq into a commitment to learning Arabic, memorising the Qur’an and the complete transformation of his self-belief and self-understanding. Politics, Philosophy and Economics is the name of his degree, but his rediscovery of his own life in learning is guided by a profound appreciation of the many people who helped him.
Abstract
This lyrical and compelling account of a personal transformation by Abdulhaq Al-Wazeer makes connections between his scholarship and his faith. Finding strength and resolve in learning with The Open University propelled Abdulhaq into a commitment to learning Arabic, memorising the Qur’an and the complete transformation of his self-belief and self-understanding. Politics, Philosophy and Economics is the name of his degree, but his rediscovery of his own life in learning is guided by a profound appreciation of the many people who helped him.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Openings and introductions: education for the many, prison for the few 1
- From prisoner to student 11
- Pioneers and politics: Open University journeys in Long Kesh during the years of conflict 1972–75 33
- A university without walls 51
- Open universities, close prisons: critical arguments for the future 73
- The light to fight the shadows: on education as liberation 97
- From despair to hope 111
- Straight up! From HMP to PhD 125
- From Open University in prison to convict criminology upon release: mind the gap 139
- From the school of hard knocks to the university of hard locks 153
- Becoming me with The Open University 165
- From D102 to Paulo Freire: an Irish journey 179
- Ex-prisoners and the transformative power of higher education 195
- What the OU did for me 213
- Appendix: Study with The Open University 225
- Index 227
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- Notes on contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Openings and introductions: education for the many, prison for the few 1
- From prisoner to student 11
- Pioneers and politics: Open University journeys in Long Kesh during the years of conflict 1972–75 33
- A university without walls 51
- Open universities, close prisons: critical arguments for the future 73
- The light to fight the shadows: on education as liberation 97
- From despair to hope 111
- Straight up! From HMP to PhD 125
- From Open University in prison to convict criminology upon release: mind the gap 139
- From the school of hard knocks to the university of hard locks 153
- Becoming me with The Open University 165
- From D102 to Paulo Freire: an Irish journey 179
- Ex-prisoners and the transformative power of higher education 195
- What the OU did for me 213
- Appendix: Study with The Open University 225
- Index 227
