The main analysis of the book explores how the case of HRE plays out in a program carried out by Tostan in Galle Toubaaco, a village in Senegal. The book is structured into three parts. Part I develops the theoretical framework, constructing an argument through the application of social norms theory, cognitive schema theory, human development theory, theories of power, and problem-posing education. Part II explores the situation in the research village, Galle Toubacco, providing context to the study and exploring the case before, during and after the HRE program implemented by Tostan. This includes looking at the gender roles, decision-making processes, and social practices that are inconsistent with human rights in the community, and how views of such practices changed during or after the HRE program. Part III considers what these lessons from Tostan teach us about the dynamics of social change, providing a model for future development programs. The strength of the book comes from the close analysis of Tostan’s HRE program and the theory of change, providing explanations for what changed, how it changed, and why it changed through the program, as well as accounting for practices which do not have an observed immediate difference. In the concluding chapters, the author argues that the value of the HRE program is in how participants have learnt to conceptualize realistic expectations about what they could do, and how. It is this development of a capacity to aspire which is the key outcome of HRE programs, even if structural conditions may limit the potential to act on these aspirations. The author also links this theory of change to other promising programs, increasing the reach and applicability of the study to alternative contexts. The findings of the book thus provide reason for reflection on the strength of HRE in development programs and the potentials of these findings beyond this context. I would have liked to see more reflexivity of the author’s own positionality in this case. Though we know he conducted interviews and observations, it is hard through his writings to see him in the setting, which would enable a consideration of the potential influences his presence may have had. The author is also relatively silent on critics of participatory approaches to development, and an engagement with such debates may have strengthened the argument of the applicability of such programs. Furthermore, despite acknowledging that limitations to the HRE program include the potential for a limited impact over time, there is no follow-up to the study. A return to explore the effects of the program several years after it ended would be a welcome addition to this analysis of HRE programs and their contribution to human development.

中文翻译：

---

书评：《低等教育：新经济中营利性大学的令人不安的崛起》，作者：麦克米兰·库托姆

该书的主要分析探讨了托内斯（Tostan）在塞内加尔一个村庄加勒图巴阿科（Galle Toubaaco）实施的计划中如何发挥HRE的作用。本书分为三个部分。第一部分建立理论框架，通过应用社会规范理论，认知图式理论，人类发展理论，权力理论和问题定位教育来构建论点。第二部分探讨了研究村庄加勒图巴科的情况，为研究提供了背景，并探讨了由托斯坦实施的HRE计划之前，之中和之后的案例。这包括研究与社区人权相矛盾的性别角色，决策过程和社会实践，以及在HRE计划期间或之后如何改变对此类行为的看法。第三部分考虑了托斯坦的这些经验教训，这些知识教会了我们社会变革的动力，并为未来的发展计划提供了模型。该书的优势来自对Tostan的HRE计划和变更理论的仔细分析，提供了对变更内容，变更方式以及变更原因的解释，并解释了未观察到的实践。即时差异。在最后的章节中，作者认为HRE计划的价值在于参与者如何学会概念化关于他们可以做什么以及如何做的现实期望。这种渴望能力的发展是HRE计划的关键成果，即使结构条件可能限制了实现这些愿望的潜力。作者还将这种变革理论与其他有前途的计划联系起来，从而增加了该研究在其他情况下的覆盖面和适用性。因此，本书的发现为反思HRE在发展计划中的优势以及这些发现在此背景之外的潜力提供了理由。在这种情况下，我希望看到作者自己的位置更具反射性。尽管我们知道他进行了采访和观察，但通过他的著作很难看到他在现场，这将使他的存在可能受到潜在影响的考虑成为可能。作者还对参与式发展方法的批评者保持沉默，并且参与此类辩论可能加强了此类计划适用性的论点。此外，尽管承认HRE计划的局限性包括随着时间的推移影响有限的潜力，但该研究没有后续行动。在计划结束后数年再次探索该计划的效果，这将是对HRE计划及其对人类发展的贡献的分析的可喜补充。